


The Second Following: Harry Potter AU

by Nebilas



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien is a Quidditch Prodigy, Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Alya is a Gryffindor, F/M, Flirting while dueling, Fluff, Hawkmoth is Voldemort basically, Marinette is a Slytherin, Master Fu is awesome, Nino is a Puff, Slow Burn, tri-wizard tournament
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-20
Updated: 2019-02-20
Packaged: 2019-05-09 05:23:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 38,385
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14709924
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nebilas/pseuds/Nebilas
Summary: Harry Potter AU! Marinette is ready to enter her fifth year at Hogwarts. During the summer, Nino is fortunate enough to get tickets to the Quidditch World Cup and invites Alya and Mari to come with. A chance encounter with the French Seeker after the match leads her down a path she never would have expected to find herself on..AdrinetteNo miraculous, but Ladybug and Chat Noir will show up. Eventually.





	1. Owls

**Author's Note:**

> Just so we're clear, yes. I am a huge nerd thank you for noticing!
> 
> Check out my tumblr [here](https://nebilas-writes.tumblr.com/)

**Chapter 1: Owls**

 

Marinette Dupain-Cheng woke up to a repetitive tapping noise. She groaned feebly and pulled her pillow over her face attempting to block out the tapping. Unfortunately, this did not prevent the sound from reaching her ears and she threw her pillow off of her bed and sat up. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and glanced to her left, where the ever pertinent tapping was emanating from. 

 

A beautiful barn owl stood there, tapping on the window pane with a letter held in its beak. It glanced up and Marinette could have sworn it smirked at her. She forced herself to stand, yawning as she did so, stumbling the first few steps before opening the glass door. The owl hooted and hopped up onto her shoulder, nuzzling her cheek.

 

This would have been a sweet gesture but tas the owl was still holding the letter, the parchment to Marinette in the nose. She winced and snatched the paper away from the owl who hooted cheerfully. Marinette wandered over to her nightstand and opened the bottom drawer. She rummaged around for a few moments, before locating the small box which contained the owl treats. She opened it, and offered it to the bird on her shoulder. The owl happily took one before flying over to a desk, where a bowl of water was waiting.

 

“Thank you Tikki.”  She said softly, as the howl hooted happily.  “Maybe you could wait until  _ after  _ 5:30 next time maybe?”  Tikki shook out her feathers as if laughing at such a preposterous request. Marinette smiled fondly and pulled out the letter the envelope contained.

 

_ Mari, _

 

_ I can’t believe it but Nino got tickets to the final. You know I don’t care about quidditch at all but even I’m excited. With you becoming a legend in Slytherin last year, and arguably in Hogwarts itself, I know how much you wanted to go, and Nino’s father got two extra tickets. I’m freaking out, and I can only imagine how excited you are, what with France’s run to the final. Though you might be the only person living in England rooting for them after they beat us in the Quarters.  _

 

_ Anyways, I’ll be back from Spain the 13th. It was incredible. Though you were right about Barcelona. It does smell like sewage. But the countryside was beautiful. Dad even dragged us to a muggle football game in Madrid. He insisted, something about how it was the biggest match of the year or whatever. El Clasico or something like that. Mum kept bewitching his drink to turn from beer into water though. He wasn’t happy, but it was highly entertaining. Tell your parents I said hi! And send an owl when you ask about the World Cup. The match is the 21st. So we’ll pick you up whenever it suits you. Let us know!! _

 

_ Lots of Love, _

_ Alya _

 

Marinette felt an uncontrollable grin spread over her face as she read the letter from her best friend. She flopped onto her bed with a giddy laugh. Ever since she’d become the keeper for Slytherin she had taken a keen interest in the game, following the English league avidly, soaking up any match she possibly could. And  _ now…  _ Now she had the chance to watch some of the most elite players in the world in the WORLD CUP. She could hardly believe her luck. 

 

She leapt back off her bed and ran over to her calendar. Today was the 11th of July. She flipped it over to August where her countdown to go back to school began. She bounced up and down and glanced at her clock. 5:32. She paused as she realised she wouldn’t be able to tell her parents for at least another two hours, as they opened the bakery later on weekends. She glanced at Tikki, who was cleaning her wing. Tikki sensed Mari staring and stared back.

 

“This excitement is your fault you know.”  Marinette chastised. Tikki gave her a meaningful look and Marinette smiled, remembering getting that same look when she had chosen the owl on her 12th birthday. Her parents had taken her to Diagon Alley to purchase her supplies and had offered to buy her an owl for her birthday when they’d noticed her longing looks. Marinette had leapt at the opportunity. She’d gone through almost every bird through the store when she’d found Tikki in a corner, her heart shaped face shining in the gloom of the shop. It had taken less than a second to choose her once she’d seen her.

 

Marinette snapped herself out of the past and pulled out her phone, which had buzzed on her desk. She held her phone for a moment and scrolled through her notifications which was mostly spam from her e-mail. None really caught her attention, and she deleted them. She glanced at the clock again and sighed impatiently. She turned her phone sideways as she clicked on YouTube, prepared to immerse herself in a video of some sort when another owl swept in through her still open window. She jumped a bit but caught the paper dropped at her face. The  _ Daily Prophet  _ had arrived.

 

She glanced up to give the owl some form of reward but it had already flown off. She turned her attention to the front page of the newspaper.

 

**Ten Years Later**

 

**_Wizarding World Celebrates Anniversary of the End of the Great Wizarding War_ **

 

_ Wizard communities around the world have taken to the streets, celebrating the ten year anniversary of the war coming to a close. “It’s hard to believe it’s been ten years.”  Prime Minister André Bourgeois said from his office. “Some of the things that happened still weigh heavily on our shoulders.” The Minister promptly traveled to Berlin and was rumored to be going to Moscow later as well. “Many mistakes were made throughout the war, but I’d like to think we’ve learned from those mistakes.”  Said Foreign Communications Head Melda Lessard. “We’ve learned to trust each other a little more. A lack of trust is what he (Hawkmoth) exploited, but now we have widespread international cooperation. It’s incredible really.” _

 

_ Many people were quick to thank Guiying Fu, the man who defeated Hawkmoth, ensuring The Following’s surrender. “We have so much to thank him for. We had him on the ropes already, but that battle might have been pivotal for The Following.” Said Maxen King, head of the Auror Office. “When people ask me what it looked like while they were fighting all I can say is it just looked like a colorful lightning storm.”  (Laughter throughout the room) “I’m serious, I couldn’t follow that duel for the life of me. I caught a glimpse of the two of them maybe 5 times over that duel. They were never not in motion. It was beautiful, but also terrifying, when you realize just how easily Hawkmoth ripped apart Moscow.” Continued on page 5 _

 

In the middle of the article was a picture of wizards celebrating in various locations. Beneath that was a picture of Fu smiling out of the paper. He grinned at Marinette and she smiled. Beneath that were two more Articles.

 

**_The Heroes of the War: Where Are They Now?_ **

 

**_The Agreste Revolution: France’s Improbable World Cup Run_ **

 

The second article featured a picture of a blonde boy with startling green eyes. Marinette inhaled sharply as she took in the attractiveness of the young man before her. She shook her head and began reading the article.

 

_ At age 16, Adrien Agreste has become Public Enemy Number One for many quidditch fans around the world, namely those residing in Russia, Ghana, Portugal, Iceland, England, Germany, and if things go France’s way in ten days, the United States will be added to that list. France entered the year with just a 10% chance of making it into the World Cup at all, but after the controversial addition of Agreste, France has gone undefeated, winning 13 straight games with Agreste at Seeker. He has missed the snitch once, but it was in a blowout victory in the group stages against Portugal in an eventual 370-160 win. Even with this incredible record, the young man has been very humble, giving most of the credit to his teammates. Despite his recent rise in popularity and his father’s prominence around the globe, little is actually known about- Continued on Page 13. _

 

_ Summary of the 424th Quidditch World Cup: Page 22 _

 

Marinette was tempted to flip to Page 13 and continue reading, but was distracted by a third owl flying into her room, perching importantly on her desk, holding a third letter. Just as quickly, a fourth letter arrived. She smiled as she recognized the fourth one. She took both letters and quickly added some more water to the water bowl. The owls gratefully began drinking. The first letter was, as expected, addressed to her and she smiled from the nostalgia it gave her.

 

_ Ms. Marinette Dupain-Cheng _

_ The Upstairs Bedroom _

_ 34 Hoxton St _

_ Stoke Newington _

_ London _

 

She placed the letter to the side, knowing it contained her book and items list for the year. The other one she had an inkling but opened it quickly.

 

_ Marinette, _

 

_ I’m sure Alya already told you but WE GOT THE TICKETS!! I’m so excited you have no idea! I can’t wait to see you and Alya it’s felt like years. I’m keeping this short but let Alya know if you can come. You’d freaking better because it’s going to be amazing.  _

 

_ See you soon! _

_ Nino _

 

Marinette grinned as she read the letter, which was making her excited all over again. After a few moments of bouncing restlessly on her bed, she decided to get dressed. She settled on a tank top and sweatpants, and threw her hair into a ponytail. She jumped back onto her bed and picked up the newspaper, intent on reading it, but the sound of a door closing downstairs stopped her. Her parents were awake. She jumped up and threw open her trapdoor, and practically flew down her ladder and into the kitchen, before halting, trying to look normal as she walked into the dining room.

 

“Mother. Father.”  She greeted. What she’d just said washed over her and she cringed.   _ What the hell was THAT??   _ She thought to herself. Her parents looked at her and burst into laughter, and Marinette felt herself flush. Sabine Cheng was giving Mari a knowing look, while Tom Dupain was chortling into his coffee.

 

“Ok Marinette…”  Her mother said, still giggling.  “What do you want from us?” 

 

Marinette sighed. So much for easing into the topic.  “Erm… It’s about my.. Other life.” Tom chuckled. Calling Marinette’s magic her ‘other life’ had been a running gag in the family for a few years. Marinette liked it because she thought it made her sound like a superhero with an alter ego. Her dad just thought it was funny.  “Nino and Alya invited me to the Quidditch World Cup Final.” She held her breath as her parents stared at her, before sharing a look. Tom shrugged and sipped his coffee.

 

‘When is it?”  her mom asked. 

 

“The 21st.”  Mari responded. She paused before she continued.  “Please let me go you know how much I love quidditch.”  She watched as her mother sighed and sipped her coffee before sharing another glance with her husband.

 

Then she smiled.  “Of course you can go Marinette.”  She said. Tom nodded his agreement.

 

“Thank you thank you thank you!!”  Mari screamed, jumping up and down before enveloping her parents in a fierce hug. She immediately took off back up the stairs she had just descended while her parents watched in amusement.

 

She scribbled two notes out to Nino and Alya and handed them to Tikki and the other owl that remained in her room. 

  
“You go to Alya.”  She told Tikki, “And you to Nino please.”  Both owls hooted, and Tikki nibbled her finger affectionately before taking the letter and flying out the window, with the other one quickly in tow. Marinette sighed happily and sank down onto her bed, and a wide grin split her face.  _ Next week is going to be amazing. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked! :D


	2. Portus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nino and Alya come to pick her up. Er... That's about it.

**Chapter 2: Portus**

 

“Marinette! We’re leaving now!”  Marinette quickly shut her suitcase and ran over to her trapdoor, jumped down the stairs and jogged into the entry hall.

 

“Bye Mum. Bye Dad. Have a good time!”  She said hugging and kissing each respectively. 

 

Her father laughed.  “I have a feeling you’ll be having more fun than we will.”  He said pointedly. 

 

Mari grinned and nodded, not bothering to hide her excitement.  “Love you!” she called as they left.

 

“Love you too!”  They said simultaneously, climbing into their car. Mari watched them drive away, then closed the door. She returned up the stairs to her room and collected her suitcase and backpack, and lugging them downstairs. 

It was all Marinette could do to stop from bouncing up and down in anticipation. After she had sent the letters she’d immediately started packing, before realizing she had a week before Nino and Alya were due to pick her up. The week had dragged on and Marinette had eventually forced herself to be productive, and she’d attacked her summer homework.

 

She’d surprised herself by burning through her elective classes, (albeit inventing her way through Divination) and had finished Potions and Charms to boot. She still had Herbology, Defense, and Transfiguration left, but those were far from her mind as she waited for her best friends to show up. They had said they would arrive at eleven and a glance at the clock showed her she was within five minutes of that. 

 

She checked her bag for the fifteenth time to make sure she had everything she needed. She knew that that she did, but she needed to do something to calm her nerves. She was just zipping up her bag when the doorbell rang.

 

Upon hearing this, she took off for the door, forgetting the suitcase was lying in front of her. She let out a few choice words that made her grateful her parents were out for the day and picked herself off the ground. She opened the door and was immediately bowled over.

 

“MARINETTE!”  A voice shrieked and Marinette found herself on the ground for a second time, this time beneath a laughing Alya.

 

“Alya I can’t breathe!”  Marinette gasped, laughing with the brunette. 

 

Alya reluctantly got off but remained kneeling over her.  “I know but it’s been a month!!” She said with a pout. 

 

Marinette brushed aside some of Alya’s hair which was hanging over her face.  “I missed you too girl. Where’s lover boy?” 

 

“Shhhh!”  Alya hissed, glancing behind her.  “He’s still outside because I sprinted here. He doesn’t know about that still!”

 

“What don’t I know about?”  Came an amused voice. Marinette peered out from around Alya and saw Nino grinning at the two of them.

 

“I’m afraid that information is need to know.”  Marinette said, grinning unabashedly, adjusting herself so she was leaning on her elbows. Nino cocked an eyebrow, but smiled as the girls got up, and pulled Marinette into a hug, who was perfectly happy to return it.  “How’s my favorite Hufflepuff?” She asked, breaking the embrace.

 

“Fantastic.”  Nino replied, grinning.  “Even with that potions assignment.” 

 

“An 18 inch essay on the properties of various antidotes.”  Alya grumbled. “I hate the snake.”

 

“I think we all do.”  Marinette said, throwing an arm around the taller girl.  “Though I think she holds a special place in her heart for me.”  

 

Alya snorted at that. “If by special place you mean complete hatred then yes, I agree.”  Alya said wryly while Nino nodded vigorously. 

 

“I’ve never actually seen a head of house look angry after somebody single-handedly won the Quidditch Cup for  _ their own house _ .”  Nino mused.  “You would assume she’d put that hatred aside.”

 

“How are we traveling?”  Marinette asked, directing the topic away from her least favorite professor.

 

“Car and then portkey.”  Came a third voice. Nino’s father Jonathan Lahiffe stepped through the door. 

 

“Hey Mr. Lahiffe. Long time no see.”  Marinette said warmly.

 

The older man sighed.  “Marinette, how many times must I say this? Please call me Jonathan.”  he said with a smile. Marinette cocked an eyebrow at the man who stood before her. He was tall and lean, and had a grizzled look about him that practically screamed  “Battle-Tested.” 

 

Marinette shook her head.  “Give me a few years.” She said. 

 

Mr. Lahiffe laughed and nodded, accepting her response.  “Is that all of your stuff?” he asked, spying her suitcase. Marinette nodded, and Mr. Lahiffe pulled out his wand.  “Right then.  _ Locomotor suitcase.”   _ Marinette’s suitcase lifted off the ground and floated past the group and out the door, with Mr. Lahiffe pulling it to make it look as though he was not using magic for any passing muggles. The three teenagers followed him out, with Marinette locking the door behind them.

 

Mr. Lahiffe put her bags in the trunk and smiled at the three, before getting in the driver's seat. Marinette slid into the backseat with Alya, while Nino hopped in next to his father.

 

“Since when can you drive Mr. Lahiffe?”  Marinette asked curiously.

 

Mr. Lahiffe put on his seat belt and turned his gaze on her in the rearview mirror.  “Ever since I learned that the muggle world was becoming so advanced on its own I wanted to learn.”  He began explaining, as he started the car. “This was one of the first things I stumbled upon. It’s actually easier than using a broom in that I don’t have to disguise myself every time I want to travel. From what I’ve heard I think the Ministry is using some magical form of television to broadcast the World Cup Final.”

 

“Really?”  Marinette asked, more than a little surprised. 

 

“Indeed. I’m as surprised as you are.”  Mr. Lahiffe sympathised, who began driving.  “I’m used to the Ministry who refuses to modernize. After all, you still have to use quills in school yes?”  The three teenagers nodded. “That’s ridiculous.” Mr. Lahiffe said with a shake of his head. “We have pens now. It’s not that difficult to swap it out.”

 

“But the minister is allowing the wizard community to adjust?”  Alya asked.

 

“Yes, Mr. Bourgeois did the same as I did after I filed my report on the muggle world. He was as impressed as I was and he began to implement some of their ideas.”  

 

Nino shook his head at his father's statement.  “It’s hard to believe that he and Chloe are related, with how much she badmouths muggles and muggleborns.”  He muttered. 

 

Mr. Lahiffe glanced at Nino for a moment before he shrugged.  “Well there are always going to be those people who feel that way. It doesn’t give them an excuse but…”  He trailed off, leaving the car quiet for a few moments. Eventually the conversation resumed, but it was about school and the upcoming match.

 

They pulled up to the Lahiffe house out in the countryside. Marinette smiled as she got out of the car. The house itself wasn’t necessarily large, but the property was large to say the least. It stretched for what felt like miles, having a lake, a large clump of trees that later expanded into a forest once off of the property, and hills that seemed to roll on forever. 

 

Marinette grinned as she spotted the horses she had come to love two summers ago. She could hardly wait, and had half a mind to sprint away from the rest of the group and vault over the fence to say hello. Glancing to her right, she could see Alya going through the same struggle. Nino laughed at the pair and tapped them on their shoulders.

 

“Soon.”  He reassured them.  “Let’s get your stuff inside first,  _ then  _ we can go explore.”  The group moved the girls suitcases into the house, and Marinette began climbing the stairs to the second floor, where she knew she’d be staying with Alya. Alya followed behind, lugging her own cases.

 

They turned right at the top of the stairs, and proceeded down the hallway, entering the third door on the left. Marinette quickly began unpacking, as did Alya. Once they both finished, they turned to look at each other. They both grinned, and raced to the stairs, practically throwing themselves down them, and wound up in the kitchen, where Nino and his father were waiting. 

 

Mr. Lahiffe looked exceedingly guilty.  “Uh… Girls? Don’t hate me now but it looks like seeing the horses is going to have to wait until after the world cup.”  At seeing the girl's distraught faces, he explained. “It’s just that I’m on second duty today as an auror, and they need more security on the grounds. There’ve been rumors about an attack.”

 

Marinette could practically see Alya’s radar for an investigation go off.  “What kind of attack?” Alya inquired.

 

Mr. Lahiffe smiled, aware of the Gryffindor’s tendency to interrogate those around her.  “A certain group with power. That’s all I know and I wouldn’t be allowed to tell you more anyway. Fortunately, Juliana Velasco was kind enough to set up our campsite a day early, and I’ve been given permission to make a portkey.”

 

He gestured towards an innocent looking coffee mug lying on the table. He tapped it once with his wand and muttered  “ _ Portus!”.  _ The mug shone with a blue light before fading back to normal, resuming its innocent facade. A thought suddenly struck Mari.

 

“What about extra clothes Mr. Lahiffe?”  she asked. 

 

He smiled reassuringly.  “You still have those extra bags with clothes in them right?”  The girls nodded. “I’ll bring them along later tonight once I get a break.”  He turned to the cup. “Everyone grab on.” Everyone placed a finger on the cup, and Mr. Lahiffe began a countdown.  

 

“3...2….1…”  A force hooked Marinette behind the navel, and the world started spinning, reality blurring around them. Marinette knew from experience her hand would not slip until it was time, but she almost wished it would. She felt like she was going to vomit. The spinning stopped as quickly as it started, and they found themselves on a grassy hill.

 

The three teenagers were left gasping for breath on their backs. Alya and Nino were clutching their heads while Marinette was concentrating on keeping breakfast down. She glanced up to find Mr. Lahiffe still standing, but he was swaying slightly, and his face had gone pale. He coughed and shook his head, before helping the three teenagers to their feet. 

 

“I bloody hate portkeys.”  Nino muttered under his breath. Mari had a feeling that Mr. Lahiffe had heard, as the corner of his mouth twitched upwards. 

 

After recovering for a few more moments, the group set off into a batch of trees that appeared to be an offshoot of a much larger forest. As they walked through the trees, she began to hear voices shouting.

 

Once they cleared the trees, the group gawked at the sight before them. Thousands upon thousands of tents were set up over a large expanse of field. In the distance sat the stadium. It loomed over the campground, and Marinette couldn’t help but feel it added an intense atmosphere to the surrounding area.

 

“Jonathan!”  Someone shouted. The group turned to find a witch sprinting towards them. The woman had an auror insignia on her cloak. She reached them, gasping.

 

“Juliana!”  Mr. Lahiffe said in surprise.  “What’s wrong?” 

 

“A fight broke out in section 3.”  She gasped, handing him a map. “The Gorilla is already there but he needs backup. But there’s also one in section 7 which is where I’m going now. Your camp spot is in section 12, spot A143.”  She said all of this at a breakneck speed and promptly apparated away, presumably to section 7. Mr. Lahiffe sighed and handed the directions to Nino.

 

“Is she always like that?”  the younger Lahiffe asked his father, cocking an eyebrow.

 

“Actually she seemed rather subdued. She must be tired.”  Mr. Lahiffe responded amidst laughter from the teenagers. “Go on. I get off at 8:30. See you then.”  And with that he disapparated. The teenagers glanced at each other.

 

“Let’s go.”  Alya said with a grin.


	3. Whispers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wandering through the campgrounds, and Alya has a chat with Marinette

 

“Vast.”  Marinette said with a tone of success.

 

“Yes!”  Nino agreed, relieved.  “That’s the word. This campground is vast.”

 

“I was just going to say it’s stupid, and move on from there.”  Alya grumbled. The group had been wandering towards their campsite for forty-five minutes and had made seemingly no progress. Once they had entered the campground, large numbers could be seen hovering above their respective sections. To their disgruntlement, the number 12 had been on the exact opposite side of where they were standing.

 

They had passed up through section ten, but the 12 appeared no nearer than it had when they started. Marinette had chosen to pass the time by casually judging the tents and their decorations. At first, the tents were normal, nothing overtly special about them. But as they neared the stadium, more and more tents had decorations supporting either France or the United States, and the closer they got, the more intense the decorations were. 

 

Many Americans had bewitched several Bald Eagles to have their feathers be in the pattern of the American Flag. Said Bald Eagles were currently flying overhead, occasionally relieving themselves over French tents. At one point some bird droppings had landed on the head of a frenchman who retaliated by stunning the bird out of the air, only to be instantly tackled by five americans amidst shouts of “How dare you!”  and “That’s an endangered species!”

 

The French on the other hand had, kept their decorations simple, their tents covered in their national flag. What Marinette failed to notice at first however, was the glint of green that came from each tent. This did  _ not  _ go unnoticed by Alya who at one point walked over to a French tent and squinted at it. 

 

“Oh Nino it’s a picture of  _ him.  _ The eyes are just enchanted to be brighter.”  She informed him.

 

“What’s him? Who is him?”  Marinette asked, snapping back to the present. Alya simply pointed at what she was talking about.

 

It was a picture of Adrien Agreste. Marinette was surprised she hadn’t noticed them before. The group stared at the picture in silence. Alya’s expression was inscrutable. Nino’s was one of awe. Marinette had no idea what her face looked like, and she didn’t really care either. Like all wizarding photos and paintings, the subject moved freely about the frame. He spotted the three staring at him and waved cheerfully.

 

Despite living in the wizarding worlds for four years now, this occasionally took Mari off guard, and she took things the subjects said seriously. (In one case she had refused to talk to Alya for a week because a photo of her had flipped her off.) She had thought she was over that. Clearly she was not, because at the sight of Adrien waving, her heart lurched almost painfully. She shook her head.  _ I most never ever let Alya know about this crush under any circumstances.  _ She thought determinedly.

 

Unfortunately, a glance at Alya revealed that the girl was staring at her, and Marinette almost groaned as she saw the vicious grin forming on her best friends face. Alya glanced at Nino then back to Marinette.  _ Later.   _ Alya mouthed, before the grin reformed. Marinette sighed and pulled on Nino’s arm.

 

“Come on Nino. We really are pretty close.”  Nino nodded and the trio continued their walk. It took another twenty minutes, but the group did get to their tent. Much to the girls disappointment, it appeared to be a regular camping tent, but Nino just laughed and walked inside.

 

The girls followed him in and gasped when they discovered that the tent was bigger on the inside. The ceiling was around ten feet tall, and there were multiple rooms to go into. Marinette could also see what suspiciously looked like a full kitchen in one of them.

 

Nino directed the girls to one of the offshooting rooms, which was clearly where they would be sleeping. Marinette didn’t stay long though, knowing Alya was looking for any chance to pin her for a conversation about her celebrity crush, something Marinette  _ really  _ did not want to have. She quickly rejoined Nino in the main room, but could feel Alya’s eyes boring into her skull.

 

The evening passed very quickly, with the teens playing Wizard’s Chess to pass the time. At 8:45 Nino’s dad showed up with spare clothes for the group.

 

“How was work Dad?”  Nino asked, flinching as Mari’s knight smashed his castle into the ground repeatedly, shouting  “Die infidel!”

 

“Stressful.”  Mr. Lahiffe sighed, pulling out a chair and sitting down heavily.  “Fights every ten minutes, plus a couple of muggles got through the muggle repelling ward. How  _ that  _ happened is beyond me, but I had to go clean up the mess.”

 

“Memory modification?”  Marinette asked. Mr. Lahiffe nodded. 

 

“I hate doing it but Statute of Secrecy says we have to obliviate them.”  Mr. Lahiffe said heavily.

 

Marinette nodded, refocusing on the chessboard.  “Check.” Mari added as she moved her castle in position. Nino glared at her. Alya smirked and Mr. Lahiffe chuckled.

 

Nino stared at the board for a few moments, before his expression brightened.  “I'll take that.” He said gleefully, taking her castle with a pawn.

 

“When is the match?”  Alya asked, hiding a yawn behind her hand.

 

“5:30.”  Mr. Lahiffe responded, also yawning. He stood and stretched his arms over his head.  “But it isn’t tomorrow it’s the day after remember.” He watched a few more moves from the two teenagers before speaking again.  “I think I’m going to go to bed early. Night all.” 

 

“Night.”  The three teens chorused.  

 

“And… Checkmate.”  Marinette proclaimed, moving her queen right next to his king. Nino’s king tried to flee the chessboard, but Marinette’s queen caught the poor king and began to pummel the piece with her fists. Nino sighed and shook his head. The group followed Mr. Lahiffe’s example and went to bed shortly after. 

 

Marinette woke up around ten the next morning and once she'd gained a completely conscious mind, found Alya staring at her. She immediately leapt out of bed and fled for the bathroom. She resolved to not let herself be alone with Alya lest her best friend start hurling questions at her.

 

The plan actually went far better than she could have hoped. She managed to avoid the conversation the entire morning, much to her surprise. There had been a few close calls, one requiring Marinette to hide behind a clump of bushes as Alya searched for her, pouting all the while. Unfortunately for the bluenette, who was hoping to make it to the match before Alya got her alone, Alya found an opportunity to strike around lunch time. The group of four were lounging outside of the tent on lawn chairs. 

 

“I'm going to start making lunch.”  Mr. Lahiffe announced, rising to his feet, and entering the tent. 

 

Nino must have received a signal from Alya, because he leapt to his feet.  “I'll help.” He offered and he quickly followed his dad into the tent. It took Marinette a few moments to realize the predicament she was in. 

 

“So…”  Alya began and Mari shut her eyes knowing what was about to come.  “Adrien Agreste huh?” 

 

Marinette groaned and put her face in her hands, flushing red.  “Alya can we  _ not? _ ” she pleaded. 

 

Alya grinned.  “Marinette you’ve never had a crush ever, so this is kinda big news. Granted your choice is untouchable but it's a start!”  

 

Marinette sighed.  “So you say. But you know how I feel about the guys at school. They’re all… You know.”  Alya nodded. She did know. “Besides, it’s not like any of them are interested.” she added. She immediately regretted saying this as she noticed Alya’s face darken and her eyes turned murderous. 

 

“Marinette. Dupain. Cheng.”  Alya seethed. “I have told you this hundreds of times. You are incredible and any boy would be lucky to have you. And that  _ includes  _ pretty boy quidditch star.”

 

“No I know!”  Marinette said, quickly backtracking.  “I was labeling that as a good thing.”

 

Alya stared at her, unconvinced. Marinette had had serious confidence issues her first few years at Hogwarts, stemming from her inability to make friends within her house first year.  “Fine. But I have one question and I swear I'll leave you alone… For now. Is this a celebrity crush or is it real?” 

 

Marinette pondered this question for a few minutes. Her brain said just a celebrity crush but her heart… Her heart screamed otherwise.  “I don't know.” She said desperately. 

 

Alya smiled sympathetically.  “Ok let me phrase this another way. If he just appeared right here what would you do?”  

 

Mari pondered this again.  “I… Well I'd want to talk to him…”  

 

Alya waved her off.  “Let's assume he  _ isn't  _ an asshole like most every other guy you've ever met.”  Marinette nodded sheepishly and began to think again. She thought about his eyes and the way they shone in such a beautiful green. His smirk that played across his face perfectly. She began blushing. Alya began to grin, which made her blush more. 

 

“It’s not what you think!”  She protested. 

 

Alya leaned forward, a knowing glint in her eyes.  “But if you could have him you would want to be with him?”  Marinette nodded with zero hesitation. “Good enough for me.”  Alya smiled. “Come on. Let's get lunch.” 

 

The rest of the day whizzed by and before Marinette could really process it, the four were on their way to the stadium, amidst the throng of thousands that were headed there as well.

 

“What's the capacity?”  Nino asked, eyes wide as they neared the stadium. 

 

Mr. Lahiffe looked pretty overwhelmed himself.  “350,000. Though reportedly about 200 million are watching across the world.”  

 

Alya whistled in awe.  “No pressure team, but most of the international wizarding community is watching.”  The group laughed, and before Marinette knew it, they were at the gates.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everyone enjoying themselves? :D Good good
> 
> Comments and kudos please, they're motivational af.
> 
> Check out my [tumblr](https://nebilas-writes.tumblr.com/)


	4. Politics

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pre-Match encounters with people Marinette would rather not see.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check out my [tumblr!](https://nebilas-writes.tumblr.com/)

Marinette showed her ticket to the entry guard who waved his wand over it with a bored expression. He nodded when the tip of it turned green, and stepped to the side. With an elated grin, Marinette stepped through the gate, and joined Nino and Alya on the other side. Mr. Lahiffe followed through shortly after and they began heading for their seats. 

 

Marinette could see the excitement in the eyes of her friends, and she assumed she was wearing the same expression on her own face as well. The group stopped at a stand to supply themselves with food and French gear.

 

Alya bought a French flag, and Nino got himself a hat, which he swapped out for the usual red one he wore. Marinette found herself tempted by the Agreste jersey but didn’t want to get knowing looks from Alya for the next three hours, so she settled on the French flag as well. The four then proceeded towards the stairs only to be bustled out of the way by several men and women wearing Auror uniforms. One actually bumped into Marinette in their haste, and she fell to the ground.

 

She found a hand offered to her and took it gratefully. As she rose, she realized she did not recognize the hand offered to her. She glanced up and found herself face to face with Prime Minister Bourgeois. Her mouth fell open and she began spluttering apologies, but he merely laughed.

 

“Relax young lady, I should be the one apologizing. Are you alright?”  Mari nodded meekly, trying to find her voice. The Minister was a very tall man with sweeping brown hair, and in his professional attire for attending the match, he looked very intimidating.

 

“Yes I am. Thank you minister.”  Marinette was pleased that her voice didn’t squeak. She glanced around her and noticed that they were surrounded by four aurors who all had their wands by their sides in case Mari went for hers. Marinette almost laughed, but then realized she should probably move cautiously unless she wanted a trigger happy auror to curse her. A thought struck her as the minister admonished the auror who had knocked her over.  _ If the minister is here, that might mean that… _ She quickly cleared her throat.

 

“Ah anyways Minister Bourgeois sorry for any inconvenience but I should probably try to find-”  but she was cut off by another voice.

 

“Daddy! Will you buy me the Agreste jersey?”  Marinette cringed as Chloe Bourgeois came into view. Chloe stopped and she could see her face twitch as her eyes landed on Mari. Chloe almost sneered reflexively but remembered her father was watching. The minister sighed. 

 

“Chloe you already have three at home as I recall, plus the one you’re wearing right now.”  Indeed Chloe was wearing an Agreste jersey, which made Mari grateful she had not bought one.

 

“Yes but Daddy this is the  _ world cup final  _ edition can I have it pleeeease.”  The minister sighed and nodded, raking a hand through his hair, which immediately sent a wizard scampering off to the stand Marinette had just left. 

 

“Marinette!”  A voice called. Marinette turned and found Alya trying to reach her but found her path blocked by aurors who seemed unwilling to let anyone besides Marinette anywhere near the minister. Marinette turned back to the Minister.

 

“Thank you Minister Bourgeois.”  She said, smiling brightly. “Sorry for any delay I might have caused.”  The Minister chuckled again.

 

“Again, it was not your fault, Ms…”

 

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng. It was an honor to meet you Minister.”  He grinned and extended a hand which Marinette shook. He turned around and Marinette turned as well, but Chloe grabbed her by the shoulder and yanked her around.

 

“What?”  Mari hissed, trying not to make a scene.

 

“Touch my father again and I’ll make your life hell.  _ Mudblood.”   _ Chloe hissed in her ear. Mari turned red, and felt tears rise as Chloe gave her a push. Marinette staggered a few steps before recovering her balance. “Glad we understand each other.”  Chloe said cheerfully. Marinette took a deep breath, fighting off the tears before Nino or Alya could see her. Confident that she could look at them without crying, she was suddenly embraced by Alya. Her confidence fled immediately.

 

“What happened to you?”  Alya asked, concerned. “We lost you after those aurors swept by.”

 

“Got knocked over.”  Mari mumbled, not feeling ready to look her friend in the eyes. She could practically feel Alya’s eyes narrowing but she shook her head slightly and Alya let it slide for the moment.

 

“Let’s go!”  Marinette said in a cheerful voice, which earned her a strange look from Nino and his father, who both shrugged and turned towards the stairs. Alya and Mari followed suit and followed the Lahiffe’s. After a long climb they finally reached their section and found their seats.

 

Marinette gasped as she caught her first sight of the pitch, and inside of the stadium. It was beautiful. The goalposts seemed to shimmer, while the crowd was clearly split into two different sections. If Marinette looked to the right the crowd was filled with French Flags and several larger than life replicas of the French Players.

 

On the other end of the pitch, American Flags were waved and their section had somehow managed to orchestrate the section behind the goalposts to wear shirts in colors that made a (currently incomplete) American Flag.

 

Marinette shook her head in amazement, and took in the sights and sounds. Alya nudged her and pointed across the pitch, handing her a pair of binoculars, which she took and looked to where Alya was pointing. Alya was pointing at the Minister’s Box where the minister and Chloe were settling in. Chloe looked as smug as Mari had ever seen her. She sighed, and looked down towards the French locker room. To her surprise she found that someone was visible. 

 

Her heart jumped (unwillingly) as her eyes found Adrien Agreste. He was leaning against the wall, looking exceedingly depressed. Marinette was confused as to why he looked so sad, when she caught a glimpse of movement behind him and Adrien whipped around. Marinette watched as Adrien took a step back from whoever was talking to him. When he finally turned around, he looked pale. He pulled back the sleeve on his left arm and glanced at it. He looked visibly relieved, before he was greeted by another French player, presumably the captain, going by the red armband on his arm.

 

Adrien’s face changed immediately to one of confidence and happiness. Mari noted this and frowned.  _ Nobodies emotions change that quickly. _ She thought to herself. But before she could keep staring, Alya snatched the binoculars away with a smirk, leaving Marinette to pout.

 

“What were you looking at?”  Alya asked conversationally.

 

“The locker room.”  Marinette admitted. Alya leaned in with a grin.

 

“Trying to get a glance of the hot frenchie?”  Marinette waved her off, but she could feel her face turn red. Alya laughed.

 

Marinette sighed and leaned on the banister. “We discussed this Alya.”  She grumbled.

 

“Ah but if you could…”  Alya whispered into her ear, grinning victoriously. Marinette had no answer for her. Fortunately she was given an excuse for not responding when a voice began to speak in a magically enhanced volume.

 

“Gooooood evening ladies and gentlemen! Welcome welcome! Let us not delay!! Let us begin!”  The crowd began to scream in excitement.

 

“First!!”  The voice shouted.  “The United States of America’s National Quidditch Team!!”  The left hand side of the stands worked themselves up into a frenzy starting a “USA” chant.

 

“I give you- DAY!”  A figure clad in red and white shot out of the USA locker room, and the USA spectators roared their approval. 

 

“GRAHAM!”  A second figure flew out at breakneck speed.

 

“RIOS!  FRAZIER!  GRIFFITH! INGRAM! AAAAAAND HARPER!”

 

The USA fanbase was absolutely besides themselves, screaming themselves hoarse. Marinette began to grin, knowing she was about to undergo the same experience.

 

“And now…. Please welcome - The French National Quidditch Team!”  This time the right hand side of the pitch began to wave their flags and shout, as players dressed in navy blue shot out.

 

“Welcome!  NALDI! THE VANG TWINS! ACARDI! GEISSLER! ARRIGHI! AAAAAAAND AGRESTE!”

 

The teenager trio screamed with the French supporters, and the French supporters began a chant of their own.

 

_ AGRESTE! AGRESTE! AGRESTE!  _

 

Mari snatched the binoculars from Alya again and focused on Adrien. He was smiling and waving, flying past the main section of the French supporters and waving. Once the crowd had finally quieted slightly, the voice began speaking again, as the players landed back down on the field, on their respective ends.

 

“And now please rise for the National Anthems. First, The Star Spangled Banner.”

 

The crowd became nearly completely silent as the american national anthem began to play, until the Americans began to sing in harmony.

 

_ Oh, Say can you see _

_ By the dawn’s early light _

_ What so proudly we hailed _

_ At the twilight's last gleaming? _

_ broad stripes and bright stars _

_ Through the perilous fight _

_ O’er the ramparts we watched _

_ Were so gallantly streaming? _

_ And the rocket’s red glare! _

_ The bombs bursting in air! _

_ Gave proof through the night _

_ That our flag was still there _

_ Oh, say does that star spangled  _

_ banner yet wave _

_ O’er the land of the free _

_ And the home of the brave _

 

The crowd cheered and Alya leaned over. “That song seems a bit violent and a bit of a middle finger to England.”  

 

Marinette laughed.  “True about England but the violence is nothing compared to France’s.”  She pointed out.

 

“I don’t speak French.”  Alya said blankly.

 

Marinette opened her mouth to respond but the voice cut her off.

 

“And now! La Marseillaise!”

 

Marinette grinned as the French National Anthem began to play, and held up a finger at Alya. The atmosphere was thick with energy and excitement from the French supporters, as they began to sing, and Marinette joined in.

 

_ Allons enfants de la patrie, _

_ Le jour de gloire est arrivé! _

_ Contre nous de la tyrannie, _

_ L’etendard sanglant est levé _

_ L’etendard sanglant est levé _

_ Entendez-vous dans les campagnes _

_ Mugir ces féroces soldats? _

_ Ils viennent jusque dans vos bras _

_ Égirger vos fils, vos compagnes! _

 

Marinette hesitated as the chorus began. It had taken on a new meaning ever since she had joined the wizarding world. Chloe’s insult rang renewed through her mind, and as the French continued singing, Marinette contented herself with surveying the French players with the binoculars.

 

_ Aux armes, citoyens, _

_ Formez vos bataillons, _

_ Marchons, marchons! _

_ Qu’un sang impur _

_ Abreuve nos sillons! _

 

She applauded and cheered with the rest of the crowd, but couldn’t help but notice that Adrien Agreste hadn’t sung the song either. Any trace of a bad mood vanished in moments though as the french began their favorite chant. 

 

_ Vive la France! Vive la France! VIVE LA FRANCE! VIVE LA FRANCE! VIVE LA FRANCE! _

 

The chant caught fire amongst the french supporters, and now their half of the crowd was screaming the chant in delight. The chant finally began to die down as people realized that they were only delaying the start of the match, but the crowd still buzzed in anticipation. Then a voice rang out from the Minister’s box.

 

“Ladies and gentlemen.”  The Prime Minister began.  “As the Minister of Magic for Great Britain, it gives me great pleasure to welcome you all, to the 424th Quidditch World Cup final.”  The crowd roared their approval. “Allow me to introduce our Head of Magical Games and Sports, and tonight's announcer! Mr. Simon Grimault!”  The entire crowd began a “Grimault” chant. English though he may have been, everyone remembered his incredible international career. His face showed up on the large magical screen and the crowd cheered. Scoreboards appeared all over the stadium, now reading  _ USA:0 FRANCE:0  _

 

“So what do the words mean?”  Alya questioned loudly over the crowd.

 

“Oh. Basically they’re calling their citizens to arms, and stuff about impure blood watering their furrows.”  Alya gave her an incredulous look and Marinette shrugged. “Believe me or not it’s the truth.”

 

“Thank you!! Thank you!!”  Grimault said with a wide smile.  “Let us begin! Mr. Davis!” he said acknowledging the referee.  “When you are ready.” Davis nodded and grinned. The crowd became very quiet, only a light buzzing sound remained.

 

“Captains. Shake hands.”  Davis instructed, and the two captains shook hands briefly, before shaking hands with Davis.  “Gentlemen and ladies… You may take off.” A small cheer came from the crowd but it quickly became quiet again. The fourteen players mounted their brooms and launched themselves. After a few moments, Davis turned to the trunk behind him. He opened it and let the snitch escape.

 

“An obligatory reminder.”  Davis said. “The snitch is worth 150 points.”  The crowd roared with laughter and Davis chuckled himself.  “It’s on the list of things I have to do before the match starts!”  He said, defending himself, but laughing nonetheless. The crowd quickly calmed down as the snitch disappeared into the lights. Marinette gazed at the two magical screens which were focusing on the two seekers. Adrien was sitting calmly, adjusting his gloves, while Harper looked like he might throw up.

 

Marinette’s gaze lingered on Adrien for a few moments, before the screens returned to Davis. Mari snapped her attention back to the middle of the pitch, where Davis was holding the quaffle. He blew his whistle and tossed the quaffle up, and with a massive roar from the crowd, the Quidditch World Cup began.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's gonna be hyyyype. 
> 
> What's Adrien freaking out about I wonder? Hmmm
> 
> See you soon!
> 
> Alternate Chapter Titles: Adrien is being suspicioso, Chloe Is a B****, USA is gonna looooose


	5. USA vs. France

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Quidditch. 
> 
> No seriously that's about it.

It was quidditch as Marinette had never seen it before. The speed at which the players moved and passed was incredible. The bludgers quickly joined the teams in the air, looking to wreak havoc. The team chemistry and raw talent was amazing. She was slightly disgruntled that the USA had won the quaffle first, but she was still entranced by the battle in the air. Grimault began to announce the match.

 

“Rios! Drops it to Frazier! Up to Graham! Rios! Great bludger from Ingram! Rios is clear!”  The USA crowd rose in anticipation.

 

“Shot from Rioooos SCORES!!! TEN NIL TO USA!”  The Americans roared their approval as Rios took a celebratory lap around the field, receiving applause from the Americans and boos from the French. 

 

“And now here come the French!”  Grimault continued as play resumed.  “It’s Acardi! Oh what a flier he is! I say what a move!!! It’s still Acardi!! Pass to Rosaria Vang!! She fakes! Passes to her brother!! Shot!”  The shot whizzed past the keeper and clanged off the left goal and was no good. The French groaned in disappointment. The Americans then went on a vicious counter attack and scored mere seconds later.

 

But the French broke through two minutes later, during a long drawn out possession in which the Vang twins flew in and out of the scoring area, distracting Day, the American keeper, who was livid and shouting at the referee after the French scored. Unfortunately for her, Davis was having none of it, and she was forced to go back to her goalposts.

 

“It’s Graham in possession!”  Grimault announced. “He’s moving quickly now! Passes to Rios! Back to Graham! Frazier! Bludger gets hit from Arrighi! Fantastic dodge! Oh what a pass to Rios! Shot! WHAT A SAVE!!”  

 

The three teenagers oohed with the rest of the French as Naldi made an incredible save with her foot. Despite that, Marinette couldn’t help but feel the French chasers were outmatched. The USA had moved virtually unhindered towards the goalposts on all of their possessions thus far, and she couldn’t help but feel that Nino had been right about the French needing to get the snitch fairly quickly. The American side chasers putting heaps of pressure on the French side. Despite some spectacular saves from Naldi, the Americans opened up a 120-50 lead in the first twenty-five minutes.

 

The American fan base could practically smell the trophy, and they were constantly loud, even when France managed to sneak their sixth goal into the right hoop. That was when Harper dove. The entire crowd rose to their feet as the American seeker plunged. Marinette whipped up the binoculars scanning desperately for the snitch but saw no sign of it. To her horror, there was also no sign of Adrien. She scanned the sky and spotted him about another 50 feet above the action.

 

She pulled up the binoculars and gazed at him in confusion. Adrien did not look ok. His face was ashen white and he was staring at the back of his left hand in a mixture of horror and disbelief. She whipped her gaze back to Harper who glanced back, looked visibly disappointed that nobody was behind him, and pulled up. 

 

Grimault began laughing at what had happened.  “Oh dear, looks like Harper thought he could dupe Agreste. Good show by the French seeker!”

 

“He was feinting!”  Nino shouted gleefully. Harper was sulking on his broom, returning to his place above the action. Marinette grinned back but focused the binoculars back on Adrien, who looked a little better and had started flying again, but still seemed rattled. Suddenly Harper began accelerating upwards, and the crowd gasped again, all turning to watch the seekers progress. Adrien, who was looking the other way never saw the seeker coming from him.

 

“FOUL!”  Roared the French, rising as one. Adrien had been blindsided by Harper, and almost been knocked off his broom, but he managed to recover. Davis blew his whistle and flew up towards Harper who appeared to be pleading his case. After a few seconds of arguing, Davis blew his whistle again.

 

“Double Foul!!!”  Grimault roared, and the French supporters screamed their approval. Harper flew back down, to the regular level, still looking mad.  “Looks like he was trying to say he saw the snitch by Agreste.”

 

Acardi proceeded to hit both penalties, which made the score 120-80. Unfortunately, from that point on the Americans went on a long run. Over the next twenty minutes they put up ten unanswered goals, putting themselves up by 140. The French had nothing going for them. The Vang Twins kept having their shots saved, and Acardi kept getting attacked by Bludgers. Nothing was going France’s way. That was until Harper dove again. And this time, Adrien followed.  

 

“And they’ve really seen it this time!”  Grimault roared excitedly. “This is for the game!”

 

The crowd rose and began to scream as the American Chasers stopped paying attention which led to an easy French goal, making it 220-90. The two seekers raced down into the stadium, and Marinette caught a glimpse of the snitch as it whizzed past their section. Adrien and Harper were not far behind. The crowd began to scream as Adrien pulled even with his counterpart. The French beater Geissler belted a bludger at Harper, but ended up making both seekers dodge, keeping them even.

 

Mari followed with her binoculars as the pair came within fifteen feet of the ground and leveled off, both with their arms outstretched, reaching for the snitch, which was when Harper decided he didn’t want to risk it, and punched Adrien in the face. Marinette screamed, as did many others, as she watched Adrien fall forward off his broom and plummet towards the ground, landing flat on his back, before bouncing and tumbling several feet, coming to a rest on his back, where he lay ominously still. 

 

The French crowd was livid, screaming in fury, while the American crowd had the sense to stay quiet and look ashamed. Davis had blown his whistle and was screaming at Harper in fury, while Harper was pretending that nothing had happened. Marinette glanced at the large screen again where they were replaying the last several seconds, and it was blatantly obvious what Harper had done. 

 

She refocused her attention back on Adrien who was finally starting to move again, while med-teams began sprinting out towards him. Adrien put himself in a sitting position, and thrust his left hand up in the air, grinning. Marinette fumbled with the binoculars as the crowd also began to notice Adrien’s odd behavior. She focused on his hand and saw a glint of gold. Her breath caught, and the entire stadium fell silent for almost five seconds, as everyone stared at Adrien in complete disbelief.

 

Then Davis, who seemed to collect his thoughts first blew his whistle for two long blasts, and the French supporters exploded in celebration. The noise was deafening. Marinette jumped up and down while hugging Alya, as the French team mobbed Adrien. Marinette couldn’t help but grin as one of the big screens showed Harper’s look of shock. The French continued screaming themselves hoarse, and Marinette took great pleasure in joining in, reading the scoreboard to make sure she could truly celebrate. She didn't have to worry as the scoreboard now read  _ USA:220 FRANCE:240  FINAL _

 

The medical personnel had managed to clear out a space around Adrien, and were working on him. After a few minutes, they backed off and Adrien got up on his feet cautiously. The French team quickly swarmed him again, and Marinette could still see the snitch clutched in his hand. 

 

The American team looked distraught as they lined up for their second place medals. Harper looked livid even still, shooting furious glances at the French team who were also beginning to line up, ready to receive their medals and get the cup. As the Americans shook hands with the head of the IQA (International Quidditch Association), Marinette couldn’t help but feel that the smile he gave Harper looked forced. Then it was France’s turn.

 

The French supporters began their cheering yet again. Marinette turned the binoculars to Adrien again. She couldn’t help but feel like he looked more relieved than anything else. He also kept glancing across the stadium towards the Minister’s Box, though as to why, Marinette could not fathom. All trace of that disappeared however when he was given the medal. He smiled genuinely and gave a warm handshake to the IQA head.

 

Suddenly all of the lights in the stadium turned out, before several powerful beams of light focused on the middle of the pitch, where, about thirty feet off the ground, floated a large platform, where the Quidditch World Cup sat with Simon Grimault and the minister, who were both grinning widely. Simon Grimault began speaking again as the French players flew down to the platform and landed.

 

“Ladies and Gentlemen, we have been honored to watch perhaps one of the most incredible World Cup Finals in known history.”  Marinette grinned as the French crowd cheered, while the remaining American supporters grumbled. “And let me be the first to congratulate France on this incredible win. Minister?”  

 

The Minister stepped forward with the cup and held it before him.  “Mr. Agreste, please step forward.” Adrien did so and Mari could see the grin on his face.  “Mr. Agreste. You have played a phenomenal world cup run. I think it’s only fitting that  _ you… _ Should be the first to hold the cup.”  The entire French side and crowd screamed their support of this decision, and Adrien slowly grasped the cup and hoisted it into the air, and the French roared their support yet again, which turned into an “Agreste” chant, that the players also began to shout, though Mari couldn’t help but notice some seemed reluctant.

 

The group of four stayed for every possible second, long after Adrien had handed off the cup to his captain, who was in tears. Long after they had taken the cup in front of the French minister who had been bouncing up and down like a little boy with a huge smile on his face, up until the French team took one final lap of honor, and flew back down into their locker room. The lights became normal again and Marinette turned to her two best friends, at a loss for words.

 

“That was amazing.”  Nino said, his eyes shining.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cliche? Yes. Do I care? Nope.
> 
> Here's my [tumblr](https://nebilas-writes.tumblr.com/). If you want to see my ramblings.
> 
> Lemme know what you think!


	6. The Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the Final, Marinette makes a few new friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My summary is super vague isn't it? Oh well! Hope you like.
> 
> (Whispers) I commissioned Eden Daphne for this. If you don't know who that is you REALLY should. Her tumblr is [HERE](http://edendaphne.tumblr.com/)

**Chapter 6: The Aftermath**

 

An hour later, Nino was still ranting about the match.  “And that catch!” he shouted. “Incredible! I’ve never seen anything like it!”

 

“I don’t think anyone has.”  Mr Lahiffe stated, shaking his head.  “That shouldn’t have been physically possible.”  Marinette nodded her head in agreement when Alya grabbed her arm.

 

“Did you see how pissed Harper looked?”  Marinette asked her.

 

“Oh yeah. What a dick move though, trying to knock him out like that.”  Alya replied, shaking her head. “He could have died.”

 

“Harper will probably get a suspension.”  Mr. Lahiffe said sagely, as they began to near their tent.  “Ah yes,” he said looking at the sky. “I was wondering when that would start.”  Above them, the French had managed to conjure fireworks that came out in the shapes of the french flag and the players. Marinette whistled, impressed as one began moving, showing an incredibly accurate replay of Adrien catching the snitch.

 

Marinette heard a noise behind her and she jumped. She turned around and identified the noise as a meow which had come from a small black cat.

 

“Hello kitty.”  She greeted. It meowed back before looking back up at the sky with an amused expression. Mari stared at it, confused. _Can cats show emotions like that?_ She walked over to it and began scratching its ears, eliciting a purr. She laughed as she scratched under its chin. She smiled as the cat closed its green eyes and twitched its tail happily.

 

“Mari!”  Alya shouted from the tent.  

 

“Coming!”  She called back. She glanced back at the cat, who had stood up as though he had understood what had been said.  “Sorry kitty.” she said, scratching his ears again. “Stay safe.” She felt foolish saying that until it meowed and.. _Did that cat just wink??_ Before she could ponder this more the cat turned tail and continued on its way. Marinette stared after it for a few moments before slowly turning back around and walking back to the tent.

 

“You ok?”  Alya asked, noticing the confused expression on her friends face.

 

“Yeah fine just… Thought I saw something.”  Marinette tried to convince herself it was a trick of the light. _It must have been. There’s nothing else for it. Though I suppose we are in the magical world._ Mari sighed and entered the tent only to be run into by Mr. Lahiffe.

 

Mr. Lahiffe looked harried.  “Sorry girls gotta go. Apparently some of the French are a bit too eager in their celebration. Not sure when I’ll be back. Have fun! Be safe!”  and with that he exited the tent and disapparated. Mari sat down and Nino pulled out the wizards chess set again.

 

“Want me to kick your ass again there Nino?”  Mari asked, raising her eyebrows.

 

Nino laughed.  “You wish.” he said putting the board on the table.

 

“Challenge accepted.”  Marinette grinned, setting up her pieces.

 

Forty five minutes and four Marinette victories later, Nino was fed up. Alya was admonishing him for still listening to his pieces advice (which was rule number one of things _not_ to do in order to win at wizards chess) when Mr. Lahiffe burst into the tent, looking like a madman. He was drenched in sweat and he looked exhausted.

 

He took a deep breath and pushed his hair out of his eyes.  “Okay. So. I’m not going to be back tonight unless there’s a dire emergency. If something is happening away from the tent and it's bad enough that you need to leave I will send a patronus message. If that happens you need to get back to the portkey.”  The teenagers stared at him, bewildered to say the least. Nino spoke first.

 

“Sure Dad… But why are you telling us this?”  

 

Mr. Lahiffe glanced at his watch.  “We found some Hawkmoth supporters. There’s only a few, but they all have his mark, and they were all talking about some form of attack tonight and we are taking _zero_ chances with this. It’s probably just this small group but every auror is on red alert.”  Marinette frowned. She had a sneaking suspicion that Mr. Lahiffe wasn’t telling them everything, but she had a feeling if she asked, he wouldn’t be allowed to answer.  “I’ll see you in the morning.” He said, before exiting the tent as quickly as he had entered it.

 

The trio looked at each other nervously and tried to resume a normal night, listening to the French celebration continue above them. Eventually though, they decided to call it a night and head to bed.

 

Despite all of the noise that surrounded them, Marinette fell asleep rather quickly after they went to bed. Unfortunately, she was woken up much earlier than she was expecting. Namely, she was woken by Alya screaming and shaking her violently. Marinette woke up slowly, and she focused groggily on her best friend.

 

“Mari!! Let’s go!!!”  Alya screeched yanking on her arm. Mari forced herself up and threw on her jeans as quickly as she could, before she was shoved out of the tent by Nino. The outside was complete chaos. People were tearing past them, screaming, some firing random spells over their shoulders. Mari turned to look at what was happening, but at first her tired eyes only showed her light. After she blinked her eyes clear, she realized it was fire, and that people were marching among the tents, shouting various spells and setting tents ablaze. Some appeared to have the outline of a purple butterfly on their face.

 

Marinette felt someone pull on her arm and found it to be Nino. Nino and Alya led the way through the mess, and they joined the panicked crowd of screaming people, all trying to get away from the people attacking.

 

“Nino!”  Mari shouted.  “Your dad!”

 

“He’s an auror!”  Nino yelled back. “He’s fighting! Let’s go!”  Marinette chanced a glance back, and her face turned white as a person was tossed up into the air and then dropped unnaturally quickly. She turned back around and the last thing she saw was a bolt of red light heading straight for her face.

 

Marinette woke up suddenly and groaned. She ached all over. She tried to roll to her side and hissed in pain as her ribs screamed in agony. _Yup. Those are broken._

 

“Are you okay?”  A voice asked quietly.  

 

“Oh yeah just fucking peachy.”  Marinette gasped. The voice chuckled. It was a male laugh. _Nino._ She decided rationally.

 

“Well at least we know you’ve got spirit. I hate to do this to you but we need to get you up.”  Marinette frowned as she realized she didn’t recognize the voice at all. That was driven from her mind as he began to help her up. She gasped in pain and groaned.  “Can you walk?” The person asked urgently. Marinette took a step and staggered but held her own weight.

 

“Well enough.”  She responded slowly. She tried to look up at her helper but couldn’t find the strength and stopped halfway. The boy was hesitating though.

 

“Hell.”  she heard him mutter.  “Come on. We need to go.”

 

“Where are we going?”  she asked blearily.

 

“We’re taking _you_ to safety. Then I have to get back. Worthless security measures. I could just apparate but no, ‘we need to protect against threats’. It’s not like those wards did much against the terrorist attack.”  Mari just nodded and the boy sighed and draped her arm over his shoulders.

 

“Thank you.”  She murmured.

 

“No problem.”  the voice said. A few moments of silence passed, the only sounds coming from their shoes stepping on debris.

 

“What’s your name?”  she asked, figuring she should at least learn the name of her helper.

 

The voice hesitated and then sighed.  “Adrien. Yours?”

 

“Marinette. Adrien like the Quidditch player?”  

 

The boy laughed.  “Very much like that.”  Marinette paused mid-step, her brain trying to work out what he meant by that. She forced her gaze up to look at the boys face and found herself face to face with none other than Adrien Agreste. Marinette suddenly became very aware of the situation she was in and managed to trip over nothing, almost taking Adrien with her. Adrien caught her smoothly, and gently lowered her to the ground.

 

“Are you ok?”  he asked, a concerned frown on his face.

 

“Never better.”  Marinette forced out, almost certain her face was crimson.

 

He smiled kindly and gave her a once over.  “You seem to be more alert now.. Do you know what happened to you?”  

 

Marinette racked her brain, trying to remember.  “Uhm… Stunning spell I think. I was watching those people in hoods for a moment then I got hit directly to the face by a red bolt so yeah. Stunner.”  

 

Adrien nodded and frowned, noticing she was favoring her left side.  “What happened to your chest?” He asked.

 

“Puberty.”  She replied before she could think better of it. What she said washed over her and she flushed.  “Oh my god I’m so… Sorry?” Adrien was positively howling with laughter, and was doubled over trying to keep it in. After a few moments he calmed himself down a bit, still giggling every few seconds.

 

“Oh thank you for that.”  He grinned, eyes sparkling.  “I haven’t laughed like that in ages. But seriously. What happened?”

 

“I don’t know.”  Marinette said, still very pink.  “It probably happened while I was unconscious.”

 

“Want me to take a look?”  he asked kindly. Marinette immediately turned red and he backtracked quickly.  “No I didn’t… I meant… Sorry.” He trailed off awkwardly.

 

“No it’s ok. Please do actually. _Not like that!!”_  She added quickly. Adrien chuckled but Mari noticed a tinge of pink on his cheeks too. Hoping to get it over with she lifted her shirt up so he could see her ribcage. He whistled.  “That bad huh?” She asked, hoping he would say no.

 

“Yes.”  He said, grimacing.  “Those are definitely broken. Unfortunately, bones aren’t really my thing, but I _can_ help with that pain and bruising if you want.”

 

“Yes please!”  Mari gasped as a lance of pain shot through her ribs. Adrien nodded and pulled out his wand and muttered something under his breath. Mari sighed as she felt the majority of the pain leave her ribs.  “Thank you.” She murmured.

 

“It’s only a temporary solution. You’ll want to get that healed for real when you get the chance. In the meantime…”  He offered her a hand and she accepted it. “You should still be cautious.” He gently pulled her up, and she gave him a grateful smile. Her heart jolted as he turned pink and looked away with a smile of his own. They resumed walking, Marinette still holding Adrien’s hand. One could argue that she no longer needed his support but she would never admit that in a million years. She turned to ask him what he was doing out here, but was interrupted by a loud cracking noise. Marinette felt Adrien tense. He glanced around, as did she.

 

“Can you make it to the forest?”  He whispered. Marinette glanced at the forest in question, which was about fifty feet away.

 

“Probably, but why?”  She asked nervously.

 

“Depending… They could be part of the terrorist group, or the ministry. Personally I want to avoid both but one is certainly worse than the other. _Can you make it?”_  He asked more forcefully.

 

“Not without you!”  Mari insisted.

 

Adrien swore as another crack was heard from the opposite direction. “Marinette we don’t have time for this! Get to the forest! You don’t even know me!”

 

“Oh so you’re allowed to risk your life for a stranger but I’m not?”  Mari fired back. Adrien had no answer for her. He sighed and drew his wand.

 

“Can I trust you to have my back?”  He whispered as the two found themselves back to back. Mari drew her own wand and took a deep breath.

 

“Can I trust you to have mine?”  She growled. Adrien let out a small laugh.

 

“Good.”  He paused.  “Are you underaged?”

 

“Yeah why?”

 

“Nothing.”  He let it drop there, but Mari could have sworn she heard him whisper something under his breath.   _Crack! Crack Crack! Crack!_  “We appear to be outnumbered.”  He stated with a tone of one discussing the weather.

 

Marinette simply shook her head.  “Wouldn’t be the first time.” She said dryly. Adrien gave her a curious look, but he quickly refocused and rolled up the sleeves of his hoodie. Despite her bravado, Marinette was nervous. She hadn’t used her wand in nearly a month, and no matter how good she was during the school year, it had been long enough where she wasn’t sure she’d be as good. It would have been so easy to listen to Adrien and make a break for the woods, but she wanted to stay. He would have fought to keep her safe, so she would do the same for him. The two stood back to back as cloaked figures began to appear from the darkness.

 

 

“Well well well.”  Came a cold and unnatural voice.  “If it isn’t the Quidditch champion and a mudblood.”  Marinette twitched and growled. She was surprised when Adrien clasped her hand. He squeezed it gently, and let go. Mari felt a twinge of disappointment at that, but fought it away. She could see three different figures across from her. One had the weird purple butterfly outline in front of their mask. She frowned. It wasn’t part of the mask, and it seemed to be serving no purpose. As she stared, it disappeared into the mask and Marinette put it from her mind.

 

“I see three.”  She whispered back to Adrien.

 

“Ditto.”  He muttered.  “I take it you support Hawkmoth then?”  Adrien said loudly.

 

“Ooooh you’re so smart.”  A different voice said sarcastically.

 

“I like to think so. But I’ve often been told otherwise.”  Adrien said pleasantly. “ _Stupefy!”_ he roared, and out of the corner of her eye, Mari saw a figure drop to the ground, unconscious.

 

“ _Stupefy!”_ She fired off a stunning spell of her own, and with that, the fight began began. As she’d feared, she found herself at a massive disadvantage, because she was one, fighting three men at once, and two, she was very rusty.

 

“Hell of a way to break off a month of no spells huh?”  Adrien called to her, sending an orange spell after a hooded figure, who began clawing at his chest in pain.

 

Marinette fired off another stunner and grinned as a man went down.  “It’s one way to shake off rust.” She agreed, pulling up a shield, and watching a spell reflect away.

 

“Nice technique.”  Adrien complimented, grinning.  “It has me _spell-_ bound.”

 

Marinette launched a counter-attack of three spells at her remaining two people.  “Did you just _pun_ in the middle of battle?”  She demanded.

 

Suddenly Adrien was by her side and he was firing red and blue streaks into the enemy's midst.  “Well I _am_ done with my half.”  He said, a confident smirk etched on his face. Marinette grinned in spite of their situation, and it struck her how flawlessly she and Adrien worked  together, taking on the remaining two figures. They moved in tandem with each other, pulling off amazing counter attacks, sending spells back at an alarming rate. They finally gained a numerical advantage when Adrien redirected a stunning spell back at them, and Marinette followed it up with two spells right behind it, sending one of the figures sprawling.

 

“Well done princess!’  Adrien exclaimed, firing off more spells at the last man.

 

Marinette frowned.  “I am _not_ a princess.”  She complained, firing off a few of her own.  “I don’t need saving.”

 

Adrien grinned easily.  “I never said you did. You’re a princess who can save herself quite easily I imagine.”  He launched an interesting combination of spells, which all streaked after the last attacker, who was suddenly parrying desperately. Adrien turned to her, still smiling.  “Trust me. It was a compliment.”

 

Marinette felt a warm feeling in her chest, and decided to go with it.  “A compliment to what?” She asked, grinning back.

 

Adrien’s grin grew wider. He opened his mouth to answer, but the hooded figure had somehow dealt with the last attack. He had a vicious grin on his face, and pointed his wand at the pair. “ _Avada Kedavra!”_ he screeched. Marinette had never seen a person’s mood shift so quickly. Adrien’s smile vanished without a trace, and he quickly summoned a wall of dirt in front of them, protecting the two.

 

Without preamble, he shoved her out of the way, which made Marinette fall over. She made to stand up, but before she could, Adrien started dueling like a madman. Bolts of light flew from his wand at such an astonishing pace that she could hardly follow them. Marinette had never seen anything like it before. He launched a mixture of attacks, most of which Mari had only heard about. The hooded man began laughing maniacally, and launched a massive fireball at him.

 

Marinette’s eyes widened in horror as Adrien was engulfed by the flames, before she realized that the flames were disappearing, becoming engulfed by the water streaming out of Adrien’s wand. Adrien then whirled his wand around his head, making the water around him freeze, and he hurled it at the man across from him. The man dove desperately out of the way, but howled in pain as it connected with his leg. Adrien made a flourishing motion with his wand that sent his opponent’s wand flying into the air, which Adrien promptly caught. He walked calmly over to his enemy, and once he got within five feet, sent a red bolt directly to his face, knocking him out.

 

He turned back around slowly and walked over to Mari, snapping the wand he had taken from the wizard and tossing it over his shoulder. He crouched in front of her, offering his hand as she stared up at him in awe.

 

“I feel like this question is getting old… But are you ok?”  He asked. Marinette nodded and again accepted his hand to help her get up. As he pulled her up his robe slipped up his arm slightly, and Mari could have sworn she saw something on his forearm, where he had been looking earlier before the match.

 

“Marinette… Could I ask you a favor?”  Adrien asked, jolting Mari out of her thought process.

 

“Maybe.”  She said skeptically.

 

Adrien laughed.  “Just if anyone asks can you not mention me. I’d rather nobody know I was here if at all possible.”  He paused then held up his wand. “ _Lumos.”_  he murmured and the tip of his wand lit up.

 

“I can do that.”  Marinette said instantly. Adrien smiled gratefully and the two began walking into the forest in a comfortable silence. But something was bothering Marinette.  “Riddle me this Adrien. How does the MVP of the French national team fresh off of winning the World Cup wind up in a forest with a random girl after single-handedly defeating six evil wizards?”  

 

Adrien laughed when she finished.  “It does sound ridiculous when you put it like that.”  He said with a smile. Marinette laughed and then winced. Her ribs were starting to hurt again now that the adrenaline was fading away.

 

Adrien noticed this and moved closer in case she needed him to catch her.  “I’d do the spell again but it’s not good to use several times in a row.”

 

“That’s ok.”  He made no indication he would answer.  “Well?” She asked after a few more moments.

 

“Not to be distracted I see.”  Adrien said with a note of amusement in his voice. He glanced around, looking a bit wistful.  “I just wanted a moment to myself. Join the general population and wander. But this little side mission might get me in trouble.”

 

“Why?”  Mari asked, the pain starting to flare up more by the second.  “You just won the world cup surely your coach can’t be too mad.”  Adrien laughed, but Marinette couldn’t help but feel there was a note of darkness to it.

 

“It’s not him I’m worried about.”  He said cheerfully. Marinette was about to press him further but a voice cut her off.

 

“Mari!”  

 

Adrien cocked his head.  “A friend of yours?” He asked.

 

Marinette nodded.  “My friend Alya.”

 

“Then it’s time for me to go.”  Adrien said with a wry smile. “I hope to see you again.”  Marinette’s breath caught in her throat.

 

“Wait! Thank you… For saving me and… Well everything.”  She said shyly.

 

“It was my pleasure. Thank you for having my back.”  He said, and Marinette could hear the genuineness behind his words. He took her hand and kissed it.  “Until next time my lady.” He winked, and before Marinette could truly process what had happened, he strode off into the night.

 

“Marinette!”  Alya shouted, bursting into the clearing. Marinette stared off where Adrien had vanished in complete disbelief. _Did that actually just happen?_ She thought, her brain refusing to focus on Alya who had almost reached her. She shook her head violently, trying to get what she assumed was a stupid grin and blush off of her face.

 

“Hey Alyaaaaa DON’T HUG ME!!”  Mari screeched as Alya barreled towards her. Alya pulled up short and Mari pointed at her ribs.  “Broken. Refrain please.”

 

Alya pouted but nodded before remembering she was angry.  “What happened to you??” She demanded, putting her hands on her hips.

 

Nino and Mr. Lahiffe appeared between the trees from the same direction Alya had arrived from.  “Mari!” Nino said, clearly relieved. “We were worried-”

 

Alya waved at him to shut up.  “Yes yes what happened?” Alya asked impatiently. Marinette swallowed, remembering her promise to Adrien.

 

“I got hit in the face with a stunning spell. I woke up not too long ago and tried to head for the portkey. I just got here a few moments before you did.”  She wasn’t technically lying. She had been headed in the general direction of the portkey with Adrien, she had just left out a few key details. Mr. Lahiffe gave her a searching look before he nodded.

 

Alya didn’t seem to thrilled with her story either but she quickly got over it.  “Well at least you’re okay.” She said, looking relieved.

 

Marinette nodded, suddenly feeling exhausted.  “For the most part.” She grimaced as her ribs reminded her of their presence.  “I think my ribs are broken.”

 

“I can fix that at home.”  Mr. Lahiffe said. “Which we should probably get to.”  He turned and the teenagers followed him back to the portkey. They soon reached the cup which looked as nondescript as ever.  “Here Marinette, let me be next to you so I can catch you if necessary.” Mr. Lahiffe offered. Marinette nodded and moved to his right. Mr. Lahiffe glanced around.  “Everybody ready?” Everyone nodded and placed a finger on the cup. “3...2...1…”

 

Mari felt the tug and they started to spin. As they began spinning, Marinette could have almost sworn she’d heard a cat’s meow and perhaps seen a flash of green from behind Alya. The group landed a few moments later, Marinette and mr. Lahiffe the only ones standing.

 

“Come on.”  Mr. Lahiffe said directing her to the house.  “Let’s fix you up.” Marinette couldn’t help but take a quick look around as they walked, hoping to catch a glimpse of the green she had seen before they left. But it wasn’t there. _Of course it isn’t._ Mari thought. _It was at the quidditch grounds, and you probably imagined it._ With that, she put it out of her mind and allowed herself to be brought into the Lahiffe residence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaaaaaa Eden is sooooo gooood!! ugh I love it so much. :D
> 
> Ahhhhhhhh Adrinette. What? What's that you say? I've repurposed the Marichat ship for my own purposes and made it into the Adrinette, which is now kind of a combination between the real thing and that? Pssssshhhhh Nooooo. How dare you accuse me of that? You are totally correct and yeah I have no shame about it what up.
> 
> Follow me on Tumblr if you like! [HERE](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/nebilas-writes) :D


	7. The Hogwarts Express

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I feel like the chapter title pretty much explains it don't you?

**Chapter 7: The Hogwarts Express**

  


The rest of summer flew by at a near frantic pace. Marinette spent the rest of July with Nino and Alya on the Lahiffe estate. They had an amazing time, and you could almost always find the three friends together, be it outside with the horses or inside doing homework. 

  


Despite how much fun she was having, Marinette had been a tiny bit distracted. Okay, a lot distracted. Thoughts of Adrien often swept into her head at inopportune times, and Alya would pick up on it immediately. Marinette would try and invent an excuse as to why she suddenly had a dreamy expression on her face (Alya’s words, not hers) and Alya would skeptically let the topic go. 

  


But on the last day, when Marinette was packing, Alya confronted her.  “You’re lovesick.” She accused. 

  


Marinette jumped and knocked her phone off of the dresser.  “Merlin Alya don’t do that.” She grumbled, picking up the phone. Fortunately it had landed in a small pile of clothes so it was okay. Then what Alya had said hit her.  “I’m  _ what?” _

  


“Lovesick.”  Alya reiterated, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. 

  


“What… I… I am not lovesick!”  Mari spluttered. 

  


“Ok. What were you thinking about before I interrupted your thoughts?”  Marinette paused. What  _ had  _ she been thinking about? A blonde haired boy with green eyes immediately popped into her head. She glanced at Alya guiltily.

  


“Quidditch?”  She offered. Alya huffed and refocused on her packing but Marinette was distracted again. Alya was right. The impossible celebrity crush had somehow morphed into something more. The one interaction with him had somehow granted him access to her mind at all times of the day. And night. She forcefully shoved him out of her mind again, and finished packing.

  


As summer continued on, Marinette felt more and more tempted to write him. But every time she started to write a letter, she crumpled it up and threw it away, telling herself she’d only be bothering him.  “He’s probably just a huge flirt.” She told Tikki. “I bet doesn’t even remember me.”

  


Tikki glared at her, then at the letter that she had thrown away and then held out her leg, obviously trying to get across a message. Marinette glared at her owl.

  


“I don’t need you playing matchmaker either. It’s just a stupid crush.”  She grabbed the trash can, intent on removing the banished letters from her room. “It’ll go away.”  She said confidently. 

  


It didn’t.

  


XxXxXxXx

  


The whistle of the Hogwarts Express pierced loudly through the air, and Marinette winced. That whistle was far too loud. 

  


She looked at her mother apologetically.  “What did you say?”

  


“I asked if you were sure you had everything dear.”  Mari glanced at her little trolley. It had two suitcases and Tikki in her cage. The owl was looking very peeved about being in said cage. 

  


“Pretty sure.”  Marinette smiled.  “If not my first letter home will have a list attached to it.”  Sabine smiled and hugged her daughter. Marinette hugged her back and the two stood there for a few moments.

  


“Alright I’ll let you go.”  Sabine said, letting her go. 

  


“I’ll see you during Winter Break.”  Marinette said. She glanced at the clock.  “I’d better go. Love you.”

  


“Love you too dear.”  Sabine said smiling weakly. Marinette took a deep breath and pushed her trolley towards the wall, glancing back and waving. Sabine waved back and Marinette turned back around in time to watch her trolley disappear into the wall. She pushed her way through and walked out onto the hidden platform. The Scarlet Train sat there, gleaming from the lights above it. Marinette smiled as she saw Alya being fussed over by her parents, as well as her two little sisters, only to grimace as she noticed Chloe and Sabrina entering the train.

  


Marinette waved to Alya as she passed and Alya waved back before pointing to the train. Marinette nodded and headed onto the train, choosing an empty compartment and sitting. She sighed and glanced out the window, and was greeted with the incredible view of a brick wall. Nino poked his head in and grinned.

  


“Hey Marinette!”  He greeted cheerfully. 

  


Marinette smiled.  “Hey Nino! How was the rest of your summer?”

  


Nino slid into the compartment and let out a content sigh as he sat.  “Pretty good. Didn’t really get up to much. How about yourself?”

  


“Finished homework, read the daily prophet, helped in the bakery.”  She listed off. “Not much else happened. Nothing life threatening.”

  


“Ayy there you go.”  Nino grinned.

  


“How’s your Dad doing?”  Marinette asked.

  


“He’s doing alright. He was kinda.. Weird about work the last few weeks though.”

  


“How so?”  Marinette asked, frowning.

  


Nino rummaged through his bag and brought out a croissant.  “Well, about two weeks ago he started going into the Ministry a bit more often. I thought it was just normal work but whenever he comes back he seems upset. Not with me and not with anyone he’s trying to catch, but angry at a co-worker or something. All he would tell me is that some sort of event was happening at school.”

  


“Odd.”  Marinette commented. 

  


“Yeah thanks I know.”  Nino said dryly, before hungrily biting into his breakfast. Marinette rolled her eyes but grinned as Alya moved into the compartment.

  


“Hey all!”  She greeted.

  


“Hey girl.”  Marinette said back.  “Have a seat.” 

  


Alya gratefully sank into the seat next to Nino and took a deep breath.  “Siblings are exhausting.” She muttered.

  


“Same as last year?”  Mari laughed.

  


Alya clasped her hands together.  “Please take me with you!” She said in a high squeaky voice.  “Mum please please pleeease let me go with her.” Alya shook her head.  “I love my sisters but Merlin give it a rest.” The group laughed and settled in as the train began to move. After about a half hour of comfortable chatting Marinette opened the window and nudged Tikki towards it.

  


“You know where to go.”  Tikki hooted and nuzzled her cheek before leaping out and flying away. Marinette watched her for a few moments before shutting the window. Marinette turned back to the sight of Nino pulling out a chessboard and groaned.  “Not again?”

  


“It’s been a month!”  He protested. “And I’ve been practicing.”

  


“Play Alya.”  Marinette grumbled. Alya sighed and moved across from Nino as the pieces aligned themselves on the board. Marinette watched in bewilderment over the next fifteen minutes as Nino began to take apart Alya’s defense, before pinning her queen in a corner. 

  


He looked exceedingly smug.  “Check.” He crowed.

  


“Yes thank you I know.”  Alya said, smiling sweetly. Marinette gulped. Alya had a dangerous look in her eye.

  


“Uh Nino…”  Marinette started, trying to warn her friend, but fortunately Alya’s anger was quickly directed somewhere else as Chloe Bourgeois entered their compartment, with her lackey Sabrina in tow. Marinette felt herself tense up, but managed to assume a relaxed position, leaning against the wall.

  


“You know Chloe if you keep making this a habit every year I feel like we could arrange a time table for it.”  Marinette said with a smile that looked more like a wolf baring its teeth. 

  


Chloe sneered back.  “Careful there Marinette. My father is minister after all.”  

  


Mari cocked an eyebrow.  “And I care why? Last I checked I was going to school not into the Ministry of Magic.”

  


“Well I’d hate for you to have an accident like last year.”  Chloe responded, inspecting her fingernails while Sabrina smirked behind her. 

  


Marinette twitched, and felt her anger rising.  “You mean when you bewitched my mirror to make me look normal when in reality you’d hit me with a stinging jinx? That one? Or perhaps you mean when I was helping Professor Bustier carry papers and you hit me with a trip jinx and I one, dropped them, and two, almost fell five stories?”  

  


Chloe grinned widely.  “Me? Why would I do any of those things? Such preposterous allegations. Unless you have proof.”

  


Marinette glared at the blonde.  “I did. Which was right about when you wrote a letter to your father and got everything called off.”  

  


Chloe grin became vicious.  “Nonsense Marinette,” Chloe said, pulling out her wand and twiddling it in her fingers.  “Father only made a donation.” Marinette narrowed her eyes. As annoying as Chloe was, Mari knew she was proficient in a number of nasty jinxes and hexes.

  


She put the wand out of her mind and rolled her eyes.  “Yes I’m aware. Now are you done? Or will we have to hex you out?”  Chloe turned to face Alya and Nino, who had not spoken, but  _ had  _ pulled out their wands and were pointing them at the two girls in the doorway. Chloe swallowed nervously and wisely backed out. Nobody wanted to be on the end of Alya’s  _ rictumsempra  _ charm. More than one of Hogwarts occupants had learned that the hard way, having been reduced to screams thanks to her tickling charm.

  


Alya slammed the compartment door shut with a flick of her wand and drew the curtains as well, blocking the two slytherins from view. 

  


“I hate those two.”  She growled. Nino nodded but Marinette just sighed. She had been hoping to avoid Chloe for as long as possible. She had never truly fit within Slytherin house, and was usually met with cold shoulders, and in best case scenarios, indifference. That wasn’t to say she didn’t have friends, but she hoped after last year when she had helped win Slytherin the Quidditch Cup, maybe the rest would be less hostile. That had held true for the rest of her fourth year, but she was unsure if it would carry through the summer or not.

  


The door was soon opened again, and a very tall and spindly man leaned in through their doorway. He was well over six feet in height, certainly closer to seven feet than six. He also had a rather large handlebar mustache, which he was currently tugging on. He peered in and glanced back down the hall, frowning.  “Was that girl bothering you?” He asked. 

  


Marinette shrugged.  “Honestly we’re fairly used to it at this point but yes.”  The man's frown deepened. 

  


“That's rather unfortunate. Ah, where are my manners I'm the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. Armand D'Argencourt.”  Unsurprisingly, it was Alya who responded first. 

  


“I'm Alya, this is Nino, and that's Marinette. Nice to meet you.”  

  


“Nice to meet you.”  Nino and Marinette chorused.

  


“And you as well.”  the professor said with a nod. He began pulling on his handlebar mustache as he gave the three of them one last look. Marinette couldn’t help but feel that his gaze rested on her a little longer than the other two.  “Have a nice train ride. I’ll try and speak to the other girl.” With that he retreated from the compartment and shut the door. The three looked at each other.

  


“Well… At least he’s not like last years… Yet.”   Nino muttered.

  


“Thank Merlin for that.”  Alya said, sitting back down.  “Where were we? Ah yes.” She said returning her attention to the chessboard.  “Knight to C7. Checkmate.” Nino gaped at her as he wondered what had just happened to his no longer perfect attack strategy. Conceding the game he nodded as his king also surrendered before turning to him and shouting various obscenities about how he was terrible at the game.

  


Marinette laughed at Nino’s forlorn expression, and patted him consolingly on the shoulder. He sighed and just ignored his king until all of the players stomped off of the board and into their allotted slots. Nino put the game away and turned back to Alya.

  


“How was the rest of your summer?”  He asked.

  


“Oh you know. Writing, reading, homework, siblings. Whole nine yards.”

  


“Sounds dull.”  Nino commented.

  


“Dull can be a good thing.”  Marinette pointed out. “Remember last year when things weren’t dull?”

  


“This year will be worse you know.”  Alya said. “What with our O.W.L.S. and all. I don’t know how I’m going to manage anything. Classes were already bad enough but now they’re going to be preparing us for tests that determine our futures. It won’t be easy.”  The other two nodded, knowing she had a valid point.

  


“That means no investigations.”  Nino said, staring accusingly at Alya, who crossed her arms defensively.  

  


“You two came along perfectly willingly!”

  


Marinette sighed.  “Yes we did. But that was because we knew you’d do it by yourself regardless.”

  


Alya opened her mouth to argue but quickly shut it.  “Point made.” She conceded after a moment. Did you see the article in the Prophet last week?”  SHe asked, changing the subject.

  


“Which one?”  Marinette asked.

  


“The one about how The Following might be regrouping I assume.”  Nino sighed.

  


“I thought Hawkmoth was dead!”  Marinette exclaimed.

  


“It was never confirmed. And just because we arrested a good number of The Following doesn’t mean that we arrested  _ all  _ of them by any means.”  Nino pointed out. “Plus there’s that new spell that’s clearly some modification of the Imperius curse. Those hit by it get a weird pink butterfly on their face, though it fades after a while. They do whatever the caster instructs them to, but it’s really hard to undo the spell. Even worse it has some form of memory erasing on it. They’re forced to do all of these terrible things and then they have zero recollection of it later.”

  


“Apparently,”  Alya cut in, “The only thing they remember is the name of the spell but not the actual incantation.”

  


“What’s the name?”  Marinette asked curiously.

  


Nino leaned forward.  “ _ Akuma.”   _ He said darkly.  “And they’re labeling it as a curse because of how destructive it can be. Apparently those who have been under its influence for too long can lose large chunks of other memories as well.”  

  


“And they really think Hawkmoth is back?”  Marinette asked, concern evident in her voice.

  


“Not officially but as far as I can tell they seem to think so because of the whole butterfly thing.”  Alya said, chewing on her bottom lip.

  


“Most of the magical community is in denial of course.”  Nino said, rolling his eyes. “Nobody really knows what to think. They think Hawkmoth is involved to some extent but most seem to think it’s a small group trying to create fear in his name. It doesn’t help that all of the politicians are cowards. No strong political figure dares come out on their viewpoint for fear of being either wrong or sending the public into a panic.”  

  


The group sat in a nervous silence as the scarlet train whizzed through the English countryside. Chatter eventually broke out again, but it was now focused on the upcoming school year. Throughout the train, many conversations were going much the same way. Some in denial, some scared, others rolling their eyes as if it were the most ridiculous thing they’d heard.

  


“After all,”  They said. “Headmaster Fu is the one who defeated him ten years ago! Even if he was coming back (which he isn’t) Fu would be able to beat him again. So don’t worry!”  And then they would quickly change the topic, because deep down, they were just as concerned. But as the train approached Hogwarts, these conversations were forgotten, returning to anticipation for what the school had in store for them this year.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're going to Hogwarts Wooooot!
> 
> Follow me on [tumblr.](https://nebilas-writes.tumblr.com/) You know. If you want. :)


	8. Unintentional Eavesdropping

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hogwarts, Hogwarts Hoggy Warty Hogwarts, TEACH US SOMETHING PLEEEAAAASE
> 
> Also Marinette and Alya hear some stuff.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In canon, some of the teachers are related to various students. This is not the case unless explicitly stated. So please don't get in a big to do about it because Otis is a teacher and doesn't really acknowledge Alya. Thanks :)

The train pulled into Hogwarts Station exactly nine minutes and forty-five seconds after sundown. The students piled off in their various friend groups, chatting amiably and wandering towards the carriages, except for the first years who were nervously shuffling towards a hefty man who was calling out for them. 

 

“First years over here please!”  The man shouted.

 

“Professor Otis!”  Nino shouted, waving. Otis Mitchell peered through the crowd and spotted the trio waving and he grinned, waving back, before returning his attention to the new arrivals who barely came up to his waist.

 

“I wonder how he can see them through that scruffy beard.”  Alya chuckled. 

 

“Magic.”  Nino said sagely.

 

“Oh shush.”  Alya responded, playfully punching his shoulder.  “It’s still weird these are pulled by nothing.” She commented, staring at the space between the carriage they had chosen and the one in front of them.

 

“Maaagic.”  Nino said again, wiggling his fingers. Alya rolled her eyes.

 

“Yes thank you.”  She said dryly.

 

They hopped in the carriage, and before too long, another two people climbed in.

 

“The inseparables!”  One said happily.

 

“Nice to see you too Aurora.”  Marinette laughed. The blonde grinned at her unabashedly.  “How was your summer?” 

 

“Oh it was a party.”  Aurora replied, rolling her eyes.  “But at least Mylene got to visit a few times.”  The girl next to her giggled.

 

“You act like you were held captive.”  Marinette replied, a small smile on her face.

 

“Might as well have been. Downsides to be muggleborn, they want to keep a super close eye on you, and they can’t help me with my homework.”  Aurora said, sighing dramatically.

 

“Amen.”  Marinette agreed. 

 

“How was your summer?”  Mylene asked the trio.

 

“Pretty great actually.”  Marinette replied, grinning.

 

“Spectacular.”  Nino added.

 

“Fantastic.”  Alya beamed. 

 

Aurora stared at them suspiciously.  “You went to the world cup didn’t you?”  She asked.

 

“Hell yeah we did!”  Nino shouted, high fiving Marinette.

 

“Lucky!”  Mylene said, envious. 

 

“You have no idea.”  Marinette said happily. The carriage jerked and finally began moving, heading up to the castle. Nino used the opportunity to launch into a description of the match, which Marinette enjoyed listening to, up until Alya brought up her favorite topic.

 

“Marinette has a crush on Agreste.”  She announced. Marinette promptly turned pink.

 

“No way!”  Mylene said, grinning.

 

“You have romance in that head of yours?”  Aurora asked, trying to fight off the smile that was creeping onto her face.

 

“I hate all of you.”  Mari moaned, burying her head in her hands. 

 

“No but this is good!”  Mylene said, beaming.

 

“That’s what I said!”  Alya said victoriously.

 

“Besides! The hot frenchies are coming so you’ll get your pick!”  Aurora said, throwing in a wink.

 

“The what??”  The trio asked. 

 

“You don’t know?”  Aurora asked, bemused, before a delighted grin spread over her face.  “Oh I get to spoil it??” 

 

“Spoil what??”  Alya asked, practically begging for new information.

 

“We’re hosting the Triwizard Tournament!”  Nino and Alya’s mouths fell open, while Marinette simply looked bemused.

 

“I thought that was cancelled centuries ago!”  Alya exclaimed.

 

“It was, but they’re giving it another shot.”  Aurora said, grinning.

 

“Oh my god that is fantastic.”  Nino breathed.

 

“I know right?”  Mylene gushed.

 

“Well I don’t.”  Marinette interjected.  “Could someone please explain? I get the three wizard tournament thing but beyond that?”  

 

Aurora looked surprised, but began to explain.  “Basically there are three schools that participate. There’s Durmstrang, Beauxbatons, and us. There’s a method used to select a champion from each school. The champions have to perform three tasks which will determine who wins, and the winner gets a cash prize as well as a big-ass trophy with their name on it.”

 

“What are the tasks?”  Marinette asked.

 

“Nobody knows. That’s half of the fun!”  Mylene said with a grin.

 

“Yeah and the other half is probably run ins with death.”  Marinette muttered.

 

“Well to be fair, the tournament does have a history of participants dying.”  Nino pointed out helpfully. 

 

Marinette just sighed.  “So I will NOT be signing up.”  She said.

 

“Pretty much.”  Alya said, patting Marinette on the back.  “You don’t need more excuses to get yourself killed.”

 

“Thanks Alya.”  Marinette grumbled, as everyone laughed.  “Real big help.”

 

“I’m excited to see you in quidditch again.”  Mylene said, as the carriage began to near the castle.

 

Aurora perked up.  “Ooh yes!” She said excitedly.  “Though it is hard to watch sometimes.”

  
“How so?”  Marinette asked, confused.

 

Aurora and Mylene shot each other a wary glance. Mylene tried to elaborate.  “Well you’re so wonderful but the rest of the slytherin team is… Well…” 

 

“Constantly trying to get me thrown off of the team even though I earned that spot fair and square? Several times?”  Marinette asked wearily.

 

“I was going to say a bunch of pricks but that works too.”  Aurora said sympathetically.

 

“I’m used to it.”  Mari said. “Besides, it’s not like I can do anything about which house I’m in.”

 

“I still don’t understand how you got put in there.”  Alya said, shaking her head. Nino and Mylene nodded emphatically, while Aurora looked thoughtful.

 

“It’s probably her ambition.”  She mused. “After all, it’s not like every Slytherin is evil. You’re an obvious testament to that.”

 

“Funny, that’s exactly what the Sorting Hat said.”  Marinette commented. “Though it did take a while to decide.”  

 

“That was the most awkward three minutes ever.”  Nino chuckled. “Everyone just awkwardly staring at you, waiting for the hat to make a decision.”

 

“What can I say?”  Marinette said dramatically.  “I’m just an enigma.” Alya scoffed but Mylene was nodding in agreement. 

 

“Well you are!”  Mylene protested when Mari shot her a curious look.  “You’re the first muggleborn to be sorted there in who knows how long! Nobody knows why.”  

 

Marinette simply shrugged. “Well it hardly matters. The majority of my house effectively hates me or has a stalker like interest in me.”  The other occupants grimaced.

 

“You don’t think he’ll keep it up do you?”  Nino asked. Mari sighed.

 

“I honestly don’t know. I certainly hope not. The threat of Alya is usually enough.”  Everyone laughed, and conversation returned to more enjoyable topics.

 

The carriage rumbled along, and it was soon pulling to a stop outside of the castle’s front door. The five people in the carriage all piled out, collecting their luggage as they got off.

 

The minute they got within a few feet of the castle doors, they were swarmed by house elves, who collected their luggage and apparated away with them, taking the bags to the students dorms. 

 

“I will never get used to that.”  Marinette muttered to Nino.

 

Nino laughed.  “If you aren’t used to it, it feels like you’re being accosted.”

 

“Just a bit.”  Marinette agreed. The group entered the castle and made their way towards the Great Hall. Half of the school was already there, and a pleasant buzz of conversation was heard throughout the large room.  “I’ll see you later yeah?” She asked the group.

 

Mylene and Aurora nodded and split off, heading for the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw tables respectively. Nino muttered a quick “good luck” and hurried after Mylene. Alya gave the Slytherin table a scathing look. 

 

“If you need me to jinx someone..”  She let the threat hang there and Marinette just laughed.

 

“They aren’t all bad. The younger ones are nice for the most part. But I’ll let you know. I appreciate the sentiment.”  The two hugged before separating and heading to opposite ends of the hall. Marinette sighed as she saw that Chloe was already there. She glanced around for the person she’d been hoping to avoid. Alya had dubbed him He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. She didn’t see him, and she heaved a sigh of relief, before plopping down between two third years who she was sociable with. She made mindless conversation with the group as the tables filled up. Ten minutes later, the teachers filed into the room. 

 

She quickly spotted the new professor, the man who’d stopped by on the train. She also had the luck of catching the eye of the transfiguration professor, Caline Bustier. She waved, and was graced with a small smile from the usually stern woman. She also spotted her least favorite professor, Verena Mendeliev. It was unfortunate that she was their Head of House, because she did not seem to like Marinette at all.

 

She finally spotted the headmaster, who had a small smile on his face, as he always did. Marinette liked the professor. They had only spoken in person a few times, but she had enjoyed every moment of them.

 

The professor stepped up to the large podium of a golden eagle and raised his hands. The conversation in the room immediately stopped. He flicked one of his hands and the doors to the great hall opened. Professor Vincent, the charms professor, walked in, with a large group of first years trailing behind him.

 

Marinette watched them all walk by, wondering which would be sorted into her house. Calien brought out the sorting hat and placed it in front of the first years, who watched it in abject fascination. Then, as it did every year, it began to sing.

 

_ Oh you may not think I’m pretty, _

_ But don’t judge on what you see, _

_ I’ll eat myself if you can find _

_ A smarter hat than me. _

 

_ You can keep your bowlers black, _

_ Your top hats sleek and tall, _

_ For I’m the Hogwarts Sorting Hat _

_ And I can cap them all. _

 

_ There’s nothing hidden in your head _

_ The Sorting Hat can’t see. _

_ So try me on and I will tell you _

_ Where you ought to be. _

 

_ You might belong in Gryffindor _

_ Where dwell the brave at heart. _

_ Their daring, nerve, and chivalry, _

_ Set Gryffindor’s apart; _

 

_ You might belong in Hufflepuff, _

_ Where they are just and loyal, _

_ Those patient Hufflepuffs are true _

_ And unafraid of toil; _

 

_ Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw, _

_ If you’ve a real mind. _

_ Where those of wit and learning _

_ Will always find their kind; _

 

_ Or perhaps in Slytherin _

_ You’ll make your real friends. _

_ Their cunning ways and slight of hand _

_ Helps them achieve their ends. _

 

_ Let it be said I do not lie _

_ You might not like your mind. _

_ But I assure each one of you, _

_ I’ve sorted every kind. _

 

_ In times of dread, You must have trust, _

_ And here is where you’ll fly _

_ Catch each other safely _

_ Or else you’ll say goodbye _

 

_ So put me on! Don’t be afraid! _

_ And don’t get in a flap! _

_ You’re in safe hands (though I have none) _

_ For I’m a thinking cap! _

 

Marinette stared at the hat in bemusement and applauded with the rest of the school. What was with that warning? Was the school in danger? She couldn’t help but wonder what the hat meant throughout the sorting ceremony, and thus was completely disinterested in the ceremony. It took only half an hour, which considering the size of the group, was very impressive. 

 

Headmaster Fu stood and returned to the podium, a wide smile on his face.  “Hello all! Welcome back to all of those returning, and welcome to those who are here for the very first time. The feast will begin in a moment, but for now, I have a few announcements. First, I would like to introduce our new Defense Against the Dark Arts Teacher. Armand D’Argencourt.”  The school applauded, many happy to see a new face after the prior year’s fiasco. The new professor stood and waved his hand. He sat back down and Fu resumed.

 

“This year, Hogwarts will be hosting an international event. For those of you who do not know, we will be hosting the Triwizard Tournament.”  Many students gasped and the buzz of conversation returned. “Come late October,” Fu continued, after the noise had died down, “Two more schools will arrive. Durmstrang and Beauxbatons. We will revisit this again before they come, but in the meantime, let the feast begin!”

 

Mari grinned as the plates in front of them were instantly filled with food. Everyone quickly filled their plates with food, ravenous after the several hours without food. Marinette cheerfully made idle chat with the two new first years who had joined their little group. 

 

She was telling them about the vanishing steps in various staircases when somebody tapped her shoulder. She glanced up, and much to her surprise, found Professor Mendeliev staring at her.

 

“Ms. Dupain-Cheng.”  Her head of house greeted.  “Are you planning on signing up for quidditch this term?”

 

Marinette stared at her suspiciously, wary of a trap. The professor had never liked her, even though she often led the house in grades, as well as being their star quidditch player.  “I was, professor.”

 

Her professor nodded to herself before smirking.  “Very good. I would expect nothing less.” With that, she walked away.

 

Marinette blinked.  “Did she just compliment me?”  She asked Alexandra, the girl next to her.

 

Alexandra looked just as bemused.  “I.. Think she did? That’s not like her. Be afraid Marinette. Very Afraid.”

 

Marinette laughed.  “I always am, but I end up in ridiculous situations anyway.”  Those around her laughed, except for the first years, who looked confused.

 

“You’ll catch on kiddos.”  A passing sixth year said. “Marinette always ends up in at least two life threatening situations per year. She has this weird habit of following her beliefs even though it could kill her.”

 

“Oi!”  Marinette protested.  “Last year wasn’t my fault!” 

 

The sixth year just laughed and kept walking.

 

“Is there a bet on how many times I almost die this term?”  Marinette asked Alexandra.

 

Alexandra snorted.  “There’s four I think.”  She refilled her plate with turkey and looked thoughtful.  “There’s the full year bid. Then there’s one for the first term, and a separate for the second term. And then there’s one concerning the various ways you could die. I put down five galleons on one of the Acromantulas in the forest.”

 

The first years were now staring at Marinette with mixtures of horror and awe on their faces. Marinette just shrugged helplessly at them.  “I have really terrible luck sometimes.” She informed them. Five minutes later, one of the first years knocked over one of their drinks and spilled it onto her.  “As I was saying.” She said dryly, as Alexandra roared with laughter behind her. The first year was in the midst of apologizing profusely, but Marinette was already waving her off, reassuring her that it was completely fine.

 

It was at that moment that Alya walked over.  “Hello ladies and gentleman.” She greeted. “I’m here for the girl with pumpkin juice all over her.”

 

Marinette pulled out her wand, glaring at her friend.  “ _ Evanesco. _ ”  She muttered, and the spilled juice disappeared.

 

“You ready?”  Alya asked. 

 

Marinette stood and nodded.  “See you later Alex.” Marinette said.  “Bye guys.” She said to the first years who had been too shy to say their names.

 

“Bye Marinette.”  The two first years chimed in unison.

 

Alex’s mouth dropped.  “That was the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.”  Marinette and Alya laughed and headed out the door to the great hall.  

 

“I wonder where Fu went.”  Alya mused. “He doesn’t usually leave during the middle of the feast.”

 

“He left?”  Marinette asked, surprised. The pair rounded a corner, headed for the steps that they would separate at.  “I hadn’t notic-” Marinette squeaked as Alya yanked her back around the corner, finger to her lips. The two poked their heads around the corner, and were greeted to the sight of the professor they’d met on the train. He was walking purposefully towards Headmaster Fu, who was bidding a few seventh years goodnight.

 

“Headmaster Fu.”  The spindly man greeted.

 

Fu turned around, smiling warmly.  “Armand, we’ve discussed this, simply Fu will do fine. Only in formal situations is that necessary. Otherwise I might be forced to call you Ex-Auror D’Argencourt.”  The professor merely shook his head. “Have you reached a decision regarding the.. Other matter?”

 

D’argencourt sighed.  “Unfortunately yes. I’ve agreed to sign on, Merlin knows what’s making me do this.”  D’Argencourt muttered the last part, pulling on his mustache.

 

Fu beamed.  “Excellent. Now you are aware of what you will be doing alongside your teaching duties yes?”  Fu asked, but the professor was already waving him off.

 

“Yes, yes. The tournament and all that. Won’t be a problem. But I did have a question about one thing in your letter.”

 

“And what was that?”  Fu asked innocently.

 

“Well it was about the-”

 

“Headmaster!”  Professor Bustier shouted.

 

“Ah wait one moment please.”  Fu said before walking over to the other professor and quickly discussed something with her. He bid her goodbye and returned.  “Now what were you saying?”

 

“About that girl you mentioned. I’ve already met her, but what was her name? Dupain-Cheng?”  Alya gasped. It was quiet, but to Marinette it sounded like a gunshot. The two men continued their conversation without incident.  “You said to watch her carefully?” Fu nodded. “May I ask why?” 

 

Fu smiled.  “Ahhh that would ruin the surprise my old friend.”  

 

D’Argencourt through his hands up in the air in frustration.  “Of course it would.” He said rolling his eyes, but with a slight smile nonetheless.  “You and your secrets. What year is she in?”

 

“Her fifth. I will tell you this though. I can’t help but feel as though she was… A mistake.”  Marinette was about to take offense but then D’Argencourt spoke. 

 

“As in... The hat? That kind of mistake?”  Fu nodded in response. “Then she’s the eighth one! If what you say is true-”

 

“I know what the prophecy says.”  Fu said wearily. “I hope I’m wrong.”  he added as an afterthought. 

 

D’Argencourt snorted.  “When are you ever wrong? Are you preparing?”

 

“Discreetly. No need to get everyone in a big to-do for no reason.”  Fu said wisely.

 

The spindly professor sighed and rubbed his forehead.  “Probably for the best. Do you need me to do anything?”

 

“Nothing as of yet.”  Fu said reassuringly. “Just be on standby.”

 

“Always.”  The former auror muttered.

 

Fu chuckled.  “Yes you are. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have an appointment with a lovely young man who is waiting for me in my office. Have a good night Armand.”

 

The two men separated and disappeared off to different areas of the castle. Marinette slumped down onto the floor, trying to process what she’d just heard. Alya was staring at Marinette in disbelief. 

 

“A prophecy?”  Alya asked, stunned.

 

“Alya..”

 

“A  _ prophecy?”  _  Alya asked again, disbelief becoming more and more pronounced by the second.

 

“Alya don’t-”

 

“A PROPHECY??”  Alya shrieked. 

 

“Alya shut up!”  Marinette hissed, putting a hand over her best friends mouth, in hopes of shutting her up.

 

Alya pushed the hand away and stared at her.  “But.. This is important! You need to know right?”

 

Marinette shook her head vehemently.  “I don’t want to know. Hopefully I will go my entire life without knowing. I don’t want to believe that everything is preordained. Besides. We both know the vast majority of Divination is crap.”

 

Alya looked uncertain.  “Even still..”

 

Marinette took a deep breath and stared her best friend in the eyes.  “I don’t. Want to know.” She reiterated firmly.

 

Alya put her hands up in resignation.  “Alright, alright.” She said, verbally conceding defeat.  “So much for a quiet year though.” She said, looking somewhat resigned.

 

Marinette sighed.  “Look. As long as I stay out of that god-forsaken tournament, I’ll be fine. Right?”

 

Alya looked unconvinced.  “You can’t tell me that there isn’t a good to fair chance that you’ll end up in it no matter what happens. Especially after last year’s fiasco.”

 

Marinette put her hands on her hips.  “That was entirely your fault Miss ‘Oh what’s over here, something suspicious? Let’s go investigate!” 

 

Alya smirked.  “Well we got him didn’t we?”

 

Marinette sighed.  “We almost  _ died  _ Alya.”

 

“But we didn’t!”  Alya said, grinning widely.  “And that’s the important thing. Now let’s go to bed. I’ll see you tomorrow yeah?” 

 

“Obviously.”  Marinette said.  “Great hall at 8?”

 

“Sounds good. I’ll find Nino and let him know. Sleep well girl!”  Alya said, waving as she walked away.

 

“Sweet dreams Alya.”  Marinette watched her friend disappear around the corner and sighed, turning to face the stairs that led down into the dungeons, and thus the Slytherin common room.  “Into the abyss.” She muttered to herself. She jogged down the stairs, hoping that her relationship with her yearmates wouldn’t be nearly as bad as it had been the year prior.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this house we have 6 WIP's and instead of actively working on them, I'm just editing old crap. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ Whoops.
> 
> Next chapter should be up soon. 
> 
> Check out my [Tumblr!](https://nebilas-writes.tumblr.com/) You know. If you want. :)


	9. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a casual Hogwarts morning with the past sitting treacherously in the background.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Sings) I'm writing again.
> 
> My [tunblr](url) is here btw. :)

To put things mildly, Marinette was not a morning person. She utterly despised waking up any earlier than she had to, and could often be spotted in a dead sprint through the castle, having slept in too late. Today however, was the first day, and Marinette got to the Great Hall at their arranged meeting time.

 

“Good morning!”  She greeted cheerfully, parking herself next to Alya and across from Nino. 

 

Alya took a large bite of a biscuit and grunted a response. Nino, reading a letter he had received, waved distractedly.

 

Marinette cocked an eyebrow.  “Chatty bunch.” She said dryly, filling her plate with food.

 

Alya swallowed.  “Sorry.” She said sheepishly, wiping her mouth with her robe.  “I’m starving.” As if to prove her point, she redirected her attention to her now empty plate and proceeded to refill it. Nino put his letter down and began to eat as well.

 

“How’d you sleep?”  He asked, before taking a bite of his scrambled eggs.

 

“Not terribly.”  Marinette replied, stabbing a sausage with her fork.  “I learned a charm this summer to soften my mattress so there’s that.”

 

Nino grinned.  “Party. How ‘bout you Alya?”

 

Alya’s head snapped up, and she quickly swallowed her mouthful of water. Unfortunately, she drank it too quickly and promptly fell into a coughing fit, leaving it to Marinette to pat her on the back.  “Fine.” Alya gasped, before coughing some more. Nino watched in bemusement as Alya hid her head beneath the table as she coughed.

 

“How about you Nino?”  Marinette asked, hoping to divert attention away from Alya, who was currently lecturing herself on how not to embarrass herself again.

 

Nino shrugged.  “Not too bad. I’m rooming with Calvin Howell and James Taylor, so that’s something. Neither snore.”

 

Alya finally recovered and popped her head back up.  “Lucky! I got stuck with Alix Kubdel and Rebecca Thornton. Both snore up a freaking storm.”

 

“So do you.”  Marinette pointed out.

 

“That’s not the point.”  Alya muttered as Nino chuckled.  “Oh! Mail’s here!” Marinette and Nino looked up, as did most of the student body, as owls began to soar into the hall, dropping off packages and letters. Marinette spotted Tikki from amongst them, and watched as her owl gracefully soared amongst the candles above, before swooping in and landing perfectly on her shoulder, a letter in her talons, as well as the Daily Prophet.

 

Marinette offered her a piece of bacon as a reward.  “Thank you Tikki.” She murmured, as Tikki traded the letter for the bacon. Marinette opened the first, which was simply her schedule.  “We have potions together Alya.” She commented.

 

“Sweet!”  Alya said happily, opening a letter of her own. 

 

Marinette moved over to the newspaper, absentmindedly rubbing Tikki’s cheek with her index finger. Tikki hooted gratefully, before taking off. Marinette eyed the front cover, reading the main headline.

 

**Escape From Azkaban!**

 

**_Dmitri Siblings Escape, Dementors in Uproar_ **

 

_ Vitalik and Indrani Dmitri have both escaped from the wizard prison Azkaban, Maxen King, head of the auror department reports. The brother and sister both found a way off of the island two days ago, and have not been seen since. “They got their hands on wands and dueled their way off of the island. It is unknown how they escaped the dementors, as members of The Following have been unable to produce the Patronus Charm.” _

 

_ The two siblings were serving several life-sentences for serving under Hawkmoth. They were known as Horrificator (Vitalik) and Princess Fragrance (Indrani) the two were amongst Hawkmoth’s inner circle. “It has become our priority to find the siblings.”  King said in his statement. “The two are guilty of some of the worst war crimes that were dealt out at the end of the war. They certainly earned their nicknames.”  _

 

_ Horrificator was known for practicing experimental spells on those he captured, often leaving his victims unrecognizable. Princess Fragrance was known for creating potions and leaving traps with those potions, often leaving a sweet smelling, but lethal trap for people trying to hunt her down.  _

 

_ This has again called into question whether or not Hawkmoth is back, especially following the incident at the world cup. King refused to comment on whether or not he believed Hawkmoth has returned, as has the vast majority of the Ministry of Magic. Prime Minister Bourgeois has called for calm, and has stated several times that the auror department is looking into all leads of both The Following, as well as Hawkmoth himself.  _

 

_ This story continues on Page 13C. _

 

Marinette tapped Alya on the shoulder.  “Did you see this?” Alya quickly scanned, and her eyes narrowed. 

 

Nino looked over as well and sighed.  “Yeah that’s what my dad said in his letter. Apparently they wiped out like 50% of the guards on their way out. They let out a bunch of other people as well, but none of them made it through the dementors.”

 

“How did  _ they  _ get by them??”  Alya asked curiously.  “Those things are awful.”

 

Nino rubbed his forehead.  “Nobody knows. That’s why it’s such a big deal. Nobody has escaped before, and the dementors are  _ livid. _ ”

 

“It’s freaky to think those things have emotions.”  Marinette muttered.

 

Nino and Alya nodded in agreement. The trio continued to eat breakfast, shifting the conversation away from the prisoners and to more pleasant topics. Marinette turned her attention to the other articles on the front page.

 

**_Minister Bourgeois Expected to Win Re-Election_ **

 

**_French Election: What You Need to Know_ **

 

**_British Quidditch League: Harpies and Arrows set to square off for Final_ **

 

**_Tri-Wizard Tournament: A History_ **

 

Marinette paused as she reached the bottom article. She shrugged. She might as well learn about the tournament, even though she wouldn’t be participating.

 

_ The Triwizard Tournament, to be hosted at Hogwarts, has a fascinating history. Before its cancellation, the tournament was an event held every few years, from 1294 until 1792. The tournament was cancelled when a cockatrice escaped during a task, killing two contestants, injured all three heads of houses, as well as several others. There have been 125 editions of the tournament since its concoction, all of which produced a Champion. Hogwarts has won a total of 63 times, and Beauxbatons 62. Durmstrang has never won. They have come close, falling one point short on 17 occasions, but have never found themselves victorious. _

 

_ Continue Reading on Page 8a _

 

Marinette chuckled, deciding not to flip the pages to the rest of the article.  “Did you know Durmstrang has never won the tournament?” She asked Alya. 

 

Alya looked at her in disbelief.  “Seriously?” She asked, bemused. “How does that even happen?”

 

Marinette shrugged.  “They must have awful luck.”  She said, mostly to herself. She sighed and flipped to the sports section, wondering about the English league. She was not prepared for the entire page to be dominated by Adrien Agreste’s face. To make matters worse, the picture of Adrien waved at her. 

 

Alya leaned over to see what had turned Marinette’s face so red, and immediately laughed.  “He is pretty I’ll give you that.” She said, teasing.

 

_ And he can flirt up a storm.  _  Marinette thought to herself, trying to ignore the heat rising in her cheeks. She shook her head and focused on the article.

 

**_Agreste Still Hasn’t Signed With A Team_ **

 

_ For reasons unknown, the French seeker Adrien Agreste has not signed with a professional Quidditch team. The teenage superstar has declined comment, leaving many to speculate whether or not his father has had something to do with his silence.  _

 

_ Gabriel Agreste has always been tight-lipped, despite his prominence around the world. The businessman has recently been considering a run at the French Government (see page 12b) and could possibly use his sons rise in popularity as a boost in the upcoming election. If recent polls are to believed however, it would appear that Gabriel would win without his sons help. _

 

_ As for the seeker, the reasons for his lack of signing remains unknown, and will most likely remain unknown. The elder Agreste has always been protective of his son, ever since the end of the Great Wizarding War. There was reportedly a question of whether or not he would even allow his son to play quidditch at all, but the younger Agreste got a tryout, and the rest is history.  _

 

Marinette hummed thoughtfully. It was curious that Adrien wouldn’t sign. He had no reason not to.  “What do you think?” She asked Alya sardonically. “Should I write him a letter and tell him to get his life together?”

 

Alya laughed, eyes scanning the page.  “I’m sure that would go well. A random girl he’s never met before telling him how to live his life.”

 

Marinette laughed with her friend, but found herself again wondering what would happen if she did write him. Would he respond? Or would it get lost among the tons of fan mail she was sure he received every day? Or would he flat out ignore it? She sighed. She’d had this discussion with herself several times, and every time, she couldn’t bring herself to send him anything. She closed the newspaper and focused on her food. Food didn’t give her conflicting emotions.

 

Marinette chewed on another slice of bacon as she observed the other tables. Lila Rossi was currently talking to Chloe at the Slytherin table which never boded well. At the Ravenclaw table Aurora was currently talking to Juleka. Suddenly Juleka laughed and slid something over to her brother Luka. Luka looked up from what he was writing and glanced at it. He laughed as well, blue hair bouncing as he slightly shook his head. He glanced up, and their eyes briefly met. 

 

Marinette quickly looked away and turned to Alya, intending to join the conversation she and Nino were having. Instead, her eyes fell on somebody else who was just entering the Great Hall. Her eyes widened and she grabbed Alya’s arm. Alya glanced at her, then followed her line of sight.

 

“Oh, hell.”  She whispered. 

 

“What?”  Nion asked, looking over.

 

“It’s  _ him. _ ”  Alya spat.

 

“Can we go please?”  Marinette pleaded. 

 

Alya was already standing.  “Of course girl. Come on Puff, we’ve got places to be.”

 

Nino nodded and grabbed his bag, quickly following the girls along the table. Marinette chanced a glance over, and was relieved to see the person in question wasn’t looking in their direction. A tense twenty seconds later, that for Marinette, couldn’t have felt longer, the trio got out of the Great Hall.

 

Marinette was still clinging onto Alya’s arm. She didn’t realize her nails were digging into Alya’s flesh until her friend let out a noise of discomfort. Marinette quickly let go, apologies already spilling from her lips, but Alya waved her off.

 

“You’re fine Marinette.”  She promised. “I understand.”

 

Marinette nodded miserably.  “I thought I was fine.” She whispered, distraught. 

 

Alya pulled her friend into a hug.  “Marinette it’s okay to not be fine.”  She whispered, voice gentle. “We know what he tried to do. It’s okay to not want to see him.”

 

Marinette buried her face in Alya’s neck.  “I have to confront it eventually.” She said hollowly.

 

Alya hesitated, before sighing.  “Yes.” She admitted. She pulled back to look Marinette in the eyes.  “But that day doesn’t have to be today.” Marinette smiled gratefully, tears stinging her eyes. 

 

She took a deep breath, steadying herself.  “One day I’m going to kick his ass.” She said, voice devoid of any humor.

 

“Damn straight.”  Alya said approvingly.  “Just make sure that when you do you let me know.”

 

“And me.”  Nino added.

 

“Thanks guys.”  Marinette murmured, wiping her eyes of the moisture still clinging to them.  “You’re the best.”

 

“Of course we are.”  Alya said unabashedly.

 

“Not modest though.”  Nino added, grinning.

 

Marinette chuckled.  “Clearly.” She began walking up the staircase.  “Come on. Let’s go to the library. I want to say hello to Ava.”

 

Nino and Alya fell into step beside her, and the trio disappeared into the depths of the castle just as Professor Fu walked into the corridor, searching for a certain girl with black hair. He sighed, disappointed. He’d been hoping to speak to her, but he still had time. Not a lot of time, but some. The prophecy was looming, and she needed to know what it said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well at least Fu isn't trying to keep it a secret like Dumbledore AMIRITE???
> 
> Anyways I'll see you guys next time...
> 
> Wait what's that? You want a preview of the next chapter? Alright fine you talked me into it.
> 
> Chapter 10 Preview: ...EXPOSITION
> 
> There. Oh, wait you wanted more? Hmmm. Tough. It's coming out this week, you can survive.
> 
> Love you all! Until Next Time!
> 
> ~Nebilas~


	10. Anticipation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette makes a promise and plays some quidditch. :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Exposiiition! Let's begin, The Exposiiition! Guess what's in?  
> I've got a mission! To write lots of siiin. (sin sin sin sin sin sin sin)  
> I'm gonna write some (developments)  
> I'm gonna create some (characters)  
> Because there aren't enough ML Characters to fill Hogwaaaaarts
> 
> (Coughs awkwardly) So! Guess who just watched History of the World Part 1? Yup that's right it's me! (Listen to The Spanish Inquisition if you have time it's so funny)
> 
> Here's my [tumblr](https://nebilas-writes.tumblr.com/) if you're interested. :)

As classes began to run their course, and September entered its final week, the students of Hogwarts began to feel the first hints of pressure from their schedules. For the younger students, this meant juggling club activities, homework, essays, and the occasional pop quizzes a few of the professors took pleasure in handing out. 

 

As for the fifth years, they had all of this, along with preparing for their O.W.L.’s, and in Marinette’s case, she had Quidditch to deal with as well. She had, for the fourth straight year, outflown any and all competition thrown at her in tryouts. The new captain, Brendan Gray, had pulled her aside after, and assured her that the job was hers, no matter what Mendeliev, or the rest of the team for that matter, tried to do. 

 

This had eased some stress off of her shoulders, especially considering the surprise tryouts the previous captain, who had since graduated, was known to hold, with the sole purpose of trying to get her thrown off of the team. Marinette was painfully aware of the whispers that had followed her around after she made the team in her second year. 

 

_ A mudblood on the team? How disgraceful.  _

 

_ I can’t believe you got beat out by the pariah.  _

 

_ We’ll lose for sure with  _ her  _ at keeper. _

 

But Marinette had kept her head up, and despite several of her housemates best efforts, she now had a record of ten wins, two losses and now a Quidditch Cup to boot. She also had one of the lowest goals allowed percentages in Hogwarts history, and while she normally didn’t care about showing anyone up, Marinette had her eye on the total save record. If she kept her pace, she would beat it the very next year.

 

But at the present moment, she was not concerned with that. She was far more concerned with the History of Magic essay that was sitting in front of her, only half written. She was sitting in the Hufflepuff common room, which Nino had graciously permitted her and Alya access to. Her two best friends were hunched over papers of their own.

 

Nino sighed and popped his knuckles, before shaking out his hand, which was clearly cramping.  “I didn’t know I could care about something less than the Goblin Rebellion of 1612.” He commented.  

 

Marinette scribbled one more sentence about how the Minister had completely mismanaged the situation, and set down her quill as well.  “I dunno. At least the one in 1612 was handled properly. This one seems to be an excuse for me to rant about how Minister Albert Boot completely ruined everything.”

 

Alya poked her head up.  “I’m writing about how Basil Flack completely choked on his opportunity at being Minister right after Boot.”

 

Marinette tapped her essay, frowning thoughtfully.  “I was thinking of adding a brief part dedicated to that.”

 

Nino hummed thoughtfully, eyeing his parchment, which was about half as full as he needed it to be.  “Maybe I could just rant about how wizards are the worst in general.”

 

Alya grinned.  “Professor Kubdel does seem to enjoy those.”  

 

Marinette sat up and began to take out the ribbons that were holding her pigtails in place.  “It’s a shame he teaches History of Magic. If he taught anything else he’d probably be my favorite professor.”

 

Alya spotted what Marinette was doing with her hair and immediately set her essay aside.  “Ooh can I help?” She asked, giving Marinette her best pleading eyes.

 

“Always.”  Marinette replied, holding the ribbon aloft for her friend to take. Alya whipped out her wand and whispered  _ “Accio. _ ”  The ribbon flew out of Marinette’s hand and into Alya’s, who was already waving for Marinette to come sit in front of her. Marinette rolled her eyes and stood, temporarily abandoning her essay.  “You know you could have just walked over yourself right?” She asked dryly.

 

Alya was unphased.  “There’s no point in being magical if you can’t use it.”  She said philosophically. Marinette settled in front of her on the floor, and Alya leaned forward on her chair, taking Marinette’s hair in her hands.  “Your hair is so soft.” She said, slightly envious.

 

“So you always say.”  Nino commented.

 

“Hush your face Puff.”  Alya muttered. “Or I’ll do it myself.”  She said the second part in such a way that Nino couldn’t hear.

 

Marinette chuckled.  “How  _ bold  _ Alya. Why don’t you just shove him against a wall while you’re at it?”  She was gratified to see both of her friends turn pink. 

 

Alya cleared her throat.  “How are we doing your hair?”  She asked loudly, attempting to change the subject.

 

Marinette tried to catch Nino’s eye, but he was suddenly fascinated with his essay. Marinette clicked her tongue disappointedly, but allowed the avoidance, if at least to spare Alya any embarrassment.  “I’m not sure.” She finally said, enjoying the feeling of Alya playing with her hair. “What were you thinking?”

 

“I wasn’t.”  Alya replied honestly.  “But how do you feel about braids?”  

 

Marinette contemplated it but shook her head.  “Just throw it up in a ponytail?” She asked.

 

Alya huffed.  “Can we at least settle on a bun?”  She asked hopefully.

 

“Sure Alya.”  Marinette chuckled, consenting.  “That works.” She presumed Alya had flashed Nino a thumbs up, because he gave one to Alya, a bemused expression on his face. 

 

A few minutes later, Alya clapped her hands together, clearly pleased with her work.  “Done!” 

 

“Thanks girl.”  Marinette said, rising and rolling her shoulders. She glanced at the mirror in the common room, and smiled. Alya had given her a messy bun, which dropped a bit from where it sat. She approved.

 

Alya pouted.  “You know if you actually gave me time to work on your hair, I’d be able to work magic on it. Literally and figuratively.”

 

“Tell you what Alya,” Marinette said, settling back down in front of her essay.  “If there’s a school dance, I’ll let you do my hair however you like.”

 

“Promise?”  Alya asked, looking hopeful. 

 

“Yeah of course.”  Marinette replied, giving her friend a smile.

 

Alya smiled broadly.  “I’m gonna hold you to that.”  She said happily, picking up her History of Magic textbook.

 

Marinette didn’t respond, immersing herself in her essay again. The group remained in a comfortable silence for the remainder of the afternoon, writing their essays and enjoying each other’s company. It was Alya who eventually broke the silence, reminding Marinette that she had quidditch practice.

 

Thus, Marinette made the walk from one common room to another, satisfied that her essay was almost completed. She quickly deposited her schoolwork and threw on her practice robes. She quickly made her way back up the stairs and towards the quidditch pitch. As was often the case, she was the first one there, and she made her way to the broomshed, where she had stored her Nimbus 2100 the previous night. Marinette stretched her arms as she opened the old shed, scanning for her broom. Her eyes found it where she left it, and she pulled it out.

 

She immediately clambered on, and zoomed into the air without a second thought. Marinette took a lap around the pitch, enjoying the cool air breeze past her. She pulled to a stop in front of the goalposts she usually defended and took a deep breath, enjoying the feeling of being thirty feet in the air. 

 

Marinette loved flying. The minute she’d heard that it was a class in her first year, she’d been over the moon. The flying instructor Madam Sullivan had placed a broom in front of her, and the broom had flown up into her hand without her saying anything. Later, Madam Sullivan had referred her to Professor Mendeliev, telling the professor that Marinette was a natural flier. For whatever reason, this had not gone over well with the professor, and the dislike Marinette was suspicious of at first became blatantly obvious.

 

While her professor’s attitude did not seem to change very much, Marinette often went out late and flew just because she could. One night during her second year, she had been spotted by the instructor, who had all but demanded she go out for the Slytherin team. Marinette had done so, and promptly won the keeper position. Then she had done it again a week later, when the captain held another tryout. She did it the week after that as well. After winning their first match against Hufflepuff, and allowing just four goals past her, the captain had tried to get rid of her  _ again,  _ at which point Professor Fu had intervened.

 

Despite his intervention, more than half of the team seemed to make it their mission to get Marinette to quit, something Marinette absolutely refused to do under any circumstances. She could be stubborn as all hell if she wanted, and she was going to play the sport she had fallen in love with, no matter what her teammates did to try to get her to stop.

 

So here she was, floating in lazy circles, watching the sun begin its descent over the horizon. She hummed to herself softly, the tranquil silence surrounding the quidditch pitch setting her at ease. She slowly broke out of her serenity as she noticed a few people filing into the seats. People did show up to watch practice on occasion, and tonight was no exception. With their first match of the season getting closer all the time, more and more students were becoming invested in their house teams, just as they did every year. 

 

Marinette sighed, knowing that this quidditch season was going to be far more difficult than the last. The thing about winning a championship was that once you had it, everyone else was dead set on taking it away from you. Marinette spotted a few Gryffindor players in the stands, obviously there to scout their opponents. Their captain Jared Duncan could often be heard shouting through the halls how they were going to win the cup this year. Marinette flew over and parked herself a few meters away from the group. The group shifted uncomfortably as she raked her gaze over them, but none looked away, staring up at her defiantly. 

 

Marinette smirked. She turned around and flew away, thinking of the cup that currently had Slytherin’s logo on it.  _ Try to take it from me.  _ She thought to herself, grinning.  _ I dare you.   _

 

She flew back down to her team in a very good mood. It immediately dissipated when she saw who was amongst them. Lila Rossi looked exceedingly smug, and Marinette wanted nothing more than to wipe the smirk off of her face. She landed a mere foot in front of the brunette, and stared her down.

 

Brendan seemed to sense the animosity and quickly interposed between the two.  “Lila I take it you know Marinette. Marinette, Lila is our backup seeker.” A glance at Brendan showed Marinette that he seemed about as thrilled as she was.  

 

“What happened to Julian?”  Marinette asked suspiciously. 

 

Brendan sighed.  “Apparently he and his idiot brother were mock dueling, and he was hit with a weird mix of a stunning spell and a stinging jinx that has him writhing in pain. Madam Vera hasn’t figured it out yet, so Lila is filling in.”

 

“So it’s temporary?”  Marinette asked, looking Lila dead in the eyes. Lila’s smirk vanished, and her eye twitched. 

 

Brendan looked as though he were trying not to grin himself.  “Temporary.” He agreed, and quickly walked past the two witches. Marinette followed him soon after, leaving Lila to herself.  “Everyone in the air, let’s go!” Brendan called, and soon there were seven people on brooms whizzing through the air, all ready to tackle whatever drills Brendan was planning to throw at them.

 

Practice ran until the sun finally descended beyond the horizon, nearly an hour and a half later. Brendan was the kind of captain that would run his team for as long as possible, and seemed to be genuinely considering asking the remaining spectators to cast the  _ lumos maxima  _ charm to give them more light. Marinette politely informed him that if he did so she would lead a mutiny, and he wisely ended practice. 

 

It was a tired, but high-spirited Slytherin team that made their collective way to the great hall, where dinner was in full swing. Lila sulked off to join her own friend group, and Marinette was prepared to do the same, when she was stopped by Amelia Wilson, one of the new chasers. 

 

“You should eat with us.”  She offered, smiling shyly.  “I know the team wasn’t exactly forthcoming in the past but..”  She glanced back at Brendan and smiled. “I think that might be changing.”  Marinette hesitated, but found herself drawn to her teammates and joined Amelia as she returned to where their teammates were gathered. Marinette was rather surprised when the remaining team greeted her. She hadn’t gotten along with most of them at all in previous years, and while the chatter was awkward and stilted at first, she soon became far more comfortable with her teammates than she’d ever been. 

 

At one point, she caught Alya’s eye across the room and shot her a thumbs up. Alya looked concerned, but smiled when she saw that Marinette was fine. After dinner, Marinette would catch up with her, and tell her how the team had seemingly changed their attitude towards her. 

 

“It’s weird it happened so fast though.”  Alya commented, a bit suspicious.

 

Marinette sighed.  “Don’t kill my mood Alya. I’m just happy they’re not trying to get me thrown off the team.”

 

Alya shrugged helplessly.  “I know girl, I’m glad, I’m just.. Wary.”

 

“Trust me, so am I.”  Marinette said resignedly.  “I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop. It might not be from them, but with my luck...”  Alya nodded in agreement, and the two continued through the castle.

 

Despite Marinette’s paranoia, there had been no backlash from her sudden good luck. Quidditch was going well, Alya was seriously considering asking out Nino, and there had been a stunning lack of incidents involving her and dangerous situations. So as October drew to a close, Marinette was beginning to feel optimistic that perhaps her bad luck truly had begun to dissipate. 

 

Hogwarts itself was gradually becoming more and more excited. The other schools were both set to arrive at Halloween, and that was just days away now. The hype surrounding the tournament had been building since Fu had announced it and the legendary tournament was suddenly becoming very real for those who were considering participating. Thus, students and professors alike all went to bed on October 30th with an excitement that was nearly palpable.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, enough exposition I promise. Some stuff is actually going to happen next chapter, I swear. I just needed to set up some relationships. I'm actually editing Chapter 11 right now, so that should be up.. Soon ish? I don't really know. I'm starting Chapter 12 as well, but ya know, I hate every part of my writing right now so we'll see how that goes. :) 
> 
> Low artistic self-esteem aside, I hope you all enjoyed! Let me know what you think, comments, all that pls. (WOW I JUST ALMOST PUT DOWN MY REAL NAME REAL SLICK ME) You all would have been like, (who tf is that?) ANYWAYS TAKE 2
> 
> Nebilas (nailed it) needs sleep now, so I'm just gonna post this tomorrow morning and hope for the best yeah? :)
> 
> Love you all, hope your sleep schedules are better than mine.  
> ~Nebilas~


	11. A Familiar Face

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beauxbatons and Durmstrang arrive, and Alya is an investigative ball of righteousness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When I finished this, it was 4:31 in the morning. You're welcome.
> 
> I broke a week of writer's block by pounding out 2500 words from 1 am to 4 am. YOU'RE WELCOME. 
> 
> As I post this, I am on vacation in New York, but I didn't want to make you guys wait for this chapter because I try to be a nice person. :) So what can I saaaay except you're welcome! 
> 
> Now after extensive editing, I think this chapter is actually presentable. Lots of character stuff going on, as well as some hints to where this story might be headed in the future. ;) But you don't care about that do you? I know exactly why you're here..
> 
> Now everybody say it with me. Adrinette. Adrinette. Adrinette ADRINETTE ADRINETTE

Despite the encroaching arrival of the two other international schools, Headmaster Fu had foolishly decided that classes would still be held. He had not accounted for the fact that nobody, including the other professor’s, would be able to focus.

 

Classes were nothing more than a gossip fest, discussing who would be trying to compete, as well as what very little they knew about previous tournaments. Marinette was actually slightly disappointed she didn’t have History of Magic today, because she could have pressed Professor Kubdel on the subject.

 

During her final class, Professor Fu amplified his voice, allowing it to reverberate through the school. The headmaster had stood and announced that Durmstrang had just passed the wards. He was not expecting the school to empty out in a matter of minutes, as every single student immediately bolted for the doors and out towards the grounds, hoping to catch a glimpse of the other school. A large crowd had formed by the time Marinette found her way outside, and she was forced to clamber up a wall in order to get a decent viewpoint. She was disappointed at first, seeing no sign of anyone.

 

“The lake!”  Somebody shouted. Everyone’s heads swiveled as one so they could see. The center of the lake was bubbling, almost as if it were boiling. Slowly, magnificently, a ship rose out of the water, shining in the early afternoon sun. It had a strangely skeletal look about it, as though it were a resurrected wreck, and the dim, misty lights shimmering at its portholes looked like ghostly eyes. With a great sloshing noise, the ship emerged entirely, bobbing on the turbulent water, and began to glide toward the bank.

 

It halted just a few feet away from the shallows. A hooded wizard was clearly visible, hanging off the side of the ship, where he began to wave his wand. A large wooden bridge began to unfurl itself from the center of the ship, and it embedded itself seamlessly into the banks of the lake. The wizard slid down a rope and landed gracefully on the bridge, facing the Hogwarts students, who stared. The wizard lowered his hood, revealing a grizzled man with long black hair. He had a scar that stretched from his cheekbone to just next to his left eye. His hair was up in a ponytail, and his eyes were a startling blue, which contrasted sharply with the rest of his appearance. His eyes scoured the crowd before him, searching for the headmaster. His eyes briefly flickered to where Marinette was, but they slid on without pause.

 

Headmaster Fu strode to the front of the students, a bizarre lack of emotion displayed on his face.  “Headmaster Kohler.” He greeted stiffly.

 

“Headmaster Fu.”  Kohler returned. The two stared at each other for a few moments, and the Hogwarts students felt there was a history between the two headmasters. Suddenly both headmasters grinned and Kohler stooped to give Fu a hug, which the headmaster returned.  “It’s good to see you my old friend.” Kohler said.

 

“You as well, Erwin.”  Fu chuckled. The watching students relaxed, breathing a collective sigh of relief.

 

“Still rattling around this old castle I see.”  Kohler said, cocking an eyebrow.

 

Fu chuckled.  “Well you’re running that gloomy place you call a school, so I guess we’ll call it even. Are you students coming out?”  He asked, glancing at the ship, which still had water streaming off the sides.

 

The Durmstrang headmaster followed Fu’s gaze and crossed his arms.  “They’re coming.” He said shortly. And sure enough, students clad in red and black cloaks began to emerge from the ship, walking two by two. They halted just behind their headmaster, and began to file out, forming two long rows. They snapped to attention and bowed towards the Hogwarts students.

 

Marinette noticed that there were far more boys than girls representing the school.

 

“Welcome!”  Professor Fu greeted warmly.  “Please, socialize amongst each other, I need to speak to your headmaster.”  

 

A rather hefty figure near the middle of the group glanced at his headmaster who nodded once. He stomped his foot and the Durmstrang students immediately relaxed. They paired off into groups of two and began to introduce themselves to the Hogwarts students. Marinette was tempted to join in, but hesitated, watching as the two headmasters departed, walking along the banks of the now still black lake.

 

Being friends with Alya had unexpected consequences. The girl had passed on many of her habits, and this was one of them. Not eavesdropping, just having a knack for knowing when something important was happening and that if she _were_ to listen, she would probably suddenly know a lot more than she should. Marinette looked around, realizing something. Where _was_ Alya?

 

A flicker of movement caught her eye, and she sighed. There she was. Hiding and eavesdropping on the two headmasters. Marinette weighed her options, watching as the students intermingled, chatting amiably.

 

She decided to follow them. She slid down the wall and pursued the two, already cursing herself as she went. _What the hell am I doing?_ She thought to herself, already regretting her decision. It was times like these where she resented having met Alya. She quickly caught up to her best friend and tapped her on the shoulder. Alya whipped around, eyes wide, but quickly relaxed when she saw who it was.

 

“You are an idiot.”  Marinette hissed.

 

Alya glanced back at the two headmasters.  “You love me. Now hush. They’re starting.”

 

“I have to offer my condolences Headmaster.”  Kohler stated.

 

“About what?”  Fu asked, looking genuinely confused.

 

Kohler grinned.  “Why the Quidditch World Cup of course.”  

 

Fu groaned.  “Must you rub that in my face? Just take the galleons and never speak of it again.”  He pleaded.

 

The Durmstrang headmaster took the money, smirking all the while.  “Germany 400, China 60.” he said, sighing contentedly. “That was a good day.”

 

Headmaster Fu suddenly got a sly look on his face.  “Yes.. Remind me how the semifinal went again? You lost to the ‘Agreste Revolution’, as the press coined it.”  Kohler’s smile disappeared without a trace. Marinette and Alya stared at each other in disbelief. The two headmasters were acting like schoolchildren.

 

Kohler quickly became serious again though, snapping both professor’s out of their casual banter.  “Speaking of the French, when does Beauxbatons get here?”

 

“Within the hour.”  Fu replied, glancing at the sky, as though he expected them to drop out of it at any time.  “Now I have to ask Erwin, have you given my proposal any thought?”

 

Kohler sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.  “I have, and I find myself with several questions.”

 

“Of course you do.”  Fu replied, eyes twinkling.

 

“You seem to be preparing, but you haven’t said for what.”  Kohler began, staring out at the lake. “So what is it you seem so intent on stopping?”

 

Fu hummed thoughtfully.  “Many things my old friend.”  He said sagely. “But this sudden surge of The Following has been.. More than a bit stressful.”

 

Kohler sighed.  “What you’re asking me to do.. It’s not exactly legal.”  Alya gasped, and Marinette elbowed her.

 

“I’m aware.”  Fu said grimly.  “But there’s nobody else who is as good.”

 

Kohler seemed to hesitate.  “There is.” He admitted.

 

Fu narrowed his eyes.  “And who is that?” He asked.

 

“I can’t tell you that yet.”  Kohler said, glancing around. “Not here.”

 

Fu nodded hesitantly.  “Very well. What of the other thing I asked?”

 

Kohler was already waving him off.  “I was starting that already.” He informed the much shorter man.  “I’ll keep you updated.”

 

Fu visibly relaxed.  “Thank you, Erwin.” He said gratefully.  The two continued their walk, and despite Alya’s protests, Marinette convinced her to come back with her and meet some Durmstrang students.

 

“But Marinette, that was crazy!”  Alya breathed. “Fu was asking him to do something _illegal._ ”

 

Marinette looked around nervously.  “Yeah, maybe not a good idea to just shout that information to the world?”  She asked.

 

Alya looked distressed.  “Looks like even Fu has some stuff he has to hide from the world.”

 

“Of course he does.”  A voice said from behind them. The girls whirled around and found themselves face to face with a Durmstrang student. It was the boy who seemed to be the leader of the group when the Headmaster had dismissed them.

 

“What do you mean by that?”  Alya asked curiously.

 

“It’s simple.”  The boy replied, with the barest hint of a Russian accent.  “You don’t defeat the man who brought half of the wizarding world to its knees without bending and breaking a few laws. There are things our governments want us to forget about that war. Everyone has their secrets.”

 

Marinette was nodding in agreement, while Alya was mulling the boys words over.  “I don’t disagree necessarily,” Alya said, “but in this case I feel that the ends justify the means.”

 

The boy shrugged.  “We shall see.” He suddenly extended a hand.  “My name is Ivan Bruel.”

 

Alya shook it first.  “Alya Cesaire.”

 

Marinette also extended hers, and Ivan took it.  “Marinette Dupain-Cheng.”

 

“Pleasure to meet you both.”  Ivan said. Ivan soon broke off from the two, aiming to introduce himself to other Hogwarts students.

 

Alya and Marinette proceeded to mill around, meeting a few other Durmstrang students, when suddenly the two headmasters returned.

 

“Beauxbatons is arriving!”  Fu called. Immediately, the large crowd of students began searching anywhere the French School could be arriving from.

 

“The sky!”  Somebody shouted. Everyone's attention was immediately shifted upwards, and sure enough, a black dot was visible in the otherwise blue sky. The black dot began to grow, in size, and soon Marinette was able to make out a carriage being pulled by several winged horses, all of which were a beautiful white. It landed smoothly on the grounds of Hogwarts. The carriage itself was monstrous, and it soon became apparent that the horses were also much larger than they had first appeared. This was confirmed when the door to the carriage opened and a woman with navy blue hair stepped out of the carriage, and was dwarfed by the horse she was standing next to.

 

The woman strode up the hill confidently, hair and cloak billowing out behind her as she walked up to the two headmasters. She halted in front of them, face void of any discernible emotion.

 

“Headmaster Fu. Headmaster Kohler.”  She greeted.

 

“Madame Rajas.”   Professor Fu greeted politely, giving the woman a kiss on her hand. Kohler did the same, and the Beauxbatons headmaster nodded approvingly.

 

“I see the fraternization has already begun.”  She commented, eyeing the students behind the two men before her.

 

“Of course!”  Fu told her cheerfully.  “Your students are welcome to join as well, though dinner will be starting soon, and perhaps they would like to enter together at first?”

 

Rajas eyed the old professor, before nodding.  “We will see you for dinner then.” She said, before turning on her heel and striding off towards the carriage.

 

“Lovely woman.”  Alya muttered. Marinette elbowed her again.  “What did I do?” Alya demanded, rubbing her arm.

 

“Your bad habit of eavesdropping is wearing off on me.”  Marinette said plainly. Alya didn’t protest again.

 

“Come!”  Fu shouted, clapping his hands together.  “Let us all move into the great hall!” The students slowly began to head back up towards the castle, chatting amongst themselves, many Hogwarts students offering Durmstrang students tours, which they were very happy to accept. Marinette walked into the hall, reluctantly going the opposite direction of Alya, and settled in at the Slytherin table. There were quite a few spaces left available at all the tables, so as to give Beauxbatons students room.

 

Conversation continued as the two schools waited for Beauxbatons to enter the hall, everyone occasionally shooting a glance towards the door of the hall, wondering when they would appear. They did not have long to wait, for a few minutes later, the Beauxbatons students entered. They seemed to hesitate when they noticed the various seats available, but eventually, they all began to split up and take their seats.

 

Marinette was eyeing the Beauxbatons students. The girls were wearing periwinkle blue robes, while the boys were wearing navy blue. Marinette glanced at the door just in time to see Madame Rajas enter the hall, followed by one last student, who was wearing a black robe. Marinette, who had been completely relaxed up to this point, suddenly found herself sitting rigidly, all of her attention focused on the green eyed blonde walking down the center of the Great Hall who was seemingly oblivious to the ever increasing number of eyes that followed him as he walked.

 

Adrien Agreste reached the front of the hall and stopped next to Madame Rajas, who gestured to go left. Marinette watched, still in shock, as Adrien began to walk towards the Slytherin table. His green eyes roamed the table, and he found an extra seat across from one of his Beauxbatons counterparts. Marinette also realized who he was sitting next to. Lila Rossi and Chloe Bourgeois. She felt a pang of disappointment ring through her, and turned away from the scene, uncomfortable with how jealous she suddenly felt.

 

Fu got the attention of the Great Hall with some sparks for his wand, and he began to speak.  “Welcome to Hogwarts, one and all! Thank you to Durmstrang and Beauxbatons for travelling all this way to come partake in this legendary tournament! I assure you, we will soon be going over that. In fact, it will be tomorrow! But for now, feast!”  He clapped his hands and the platters before them immediately filled with food. Marinette glanced over at Adrien, considering trying to get his attention, but fought it away and filled her plate with food.

 

Alexandra, who had sat next to her a few minutes prior, leaned over.  “That’s the one you have a crush on yeah?” She asked softly.

 

“It might be.”  Marinette admitted grudgingly, eyes flicking back to the blonde wistfully.

 

Alexandra whistled.  “Damn he’s pretty.” Marinette gave her a look, and the younger girl chuckled, before shooting her a wink.  “Just because I’m gay doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate a work of art.”

 

Marinette grinned, shaking her head fondly.  “You’re ridiculous.”

 

“It’s part of my charm.”  Alexandra said dramatically, practically draping herself on Marinette, who began laughing at her friends antics. Marinette extracted herself from Alexandra eventually and began to dig into her food. She was rather hungry.

 

“Seriously though.”  Alexandra said a few minutes later.  “What’s the worst that happens if you go talk to him?”

 

“I could get ignored.”  Marinette grumbled.

 

“Then he isn’t worth your time.”  Alexandra said firmly. “The end.”

 

Marinette smiled gratefully at her friend.  “You know that’s what Alya said.”

 

Alexandra blinked.  “I never thought I’d say this but Alya is correct.”  Marinette laughed again, and chanced another look at the blonde in question, but when she looked over to where he was, he was gone. Marinette was surprised. The rest of Beauxbatons was still here.

 

Marinette sighed and took a long drink of her juice.

 

“Fancy seeing you here.”  A voice said from over her shoulder. Marinette jumped and almost dropped her cup. She whipped around and found the blonde who had been occupying her thoughts for the past three months.

 

“A-Adrien?!”  She shrieked.

 

The blonde gave her a grin.  “May I sit?” He asked politely.

 

A glance to her right showed an open-mouthed Alexandra, confirming that this was in fact reality.  “Uhmm… Yes please. I mean.. Yes. Sure. Go ahead.” Adrien chuckled and slid onto the bench on her left. Mari glanced around the hall. People were staring. Chloe and Sabrina were glaring. Lila looked livid.

 

“I’m happy to see you.”  Adrien said cheerfully, either not noticing the stares or ignoring them.

 

“You are?”  Mari asked, her heart going a million miles per second.

 

“Very. For starters, if you weren’t here, I’d have been forced to sit next to miss high and mighty for the next half hour.”  

 

Marinette, who had picked up her cup, snorted and almost spilled it again.  “Always a plus.” She agreed, returning his smile.

 

Adrien nodded sagely.  “I think so. Also, I’m glad I actually get a chance to talk to you. I didn’t know how to get a message to you. You only told me your first name. I was tempted to send an owl but there was the name problem and also there was the problem that I had no idea what to say.”

 

“What to say?”  Marinette asked, completely unaware of the freaking out that Alexandra was doing behind her.

 

“Well yeah.”  He said. To Marinette’s shock, he suddenly looked shy, and he cleared his throat.  “Hello Marinette! Remember me? The random boy who you spent like fifteen minutes with before we were attacked and then fought terrorists with? Hi!”

 

Marinette laughed.  “You have a point. I actually almost sent you a letter on several occasions. But I figured you didn’t want to be bothered so… Plus I wasn’t even sure you’d remember me.”  

 

Adrien snorted.  “Right, like I’d forget the beautiful, sassy, raven haired girl fate just plopped in front of me with no warning.”  Marinette’s breath caught in her throat. Adrien Agreste, professional quidditch player and model had just called her beautiful. Adrien was not done with her yet though.  “Also, bother me any time you want.” he said warmly. “ _Any_ time you want. I’ll respond.”  

 

Marinette felt absolutely giddy, but managed to keep that expression off of her face, settling for a grin.  “I may take you up on that Mr. Agreste.” Adrien’s smile grew, and he snatched a piece of turkey off her plate.  “Rude!” She gasped, putting a hand to her chest before batting his hand away. He laughed and ate it before she could get it back.  “So why else are you sitting with me?” She asked.

 

“Well. You looked sad.”

 

“So this is a pity party for me?”  she asked, cocking an eyebrow.

 

He laughed.  “No. It’s just I know the feeling, and people keep giving you resentful looks. Oh that reminds me.”  He leaned forward and got Alexandra’s attention. “Adrien Agreste.”

 

“Alexandra Martens.”  Her friend replied. “Nice to meet you.”

 

“You as well.”  Adrien said cheerfully.

  
“If you hurt Marinette they will never find your body.”  Alexandra informed him. Marinette had never wanted to punch somebody as much as she did at that moment.

 

Adrien looked baffled for a split second before grinning.  “Noted. Anyone else I have to watch out for?”

 

Alexandra pointed across the hall.  “Alya Cesaire over there.”

 

Adrien followed her finger and nodded.  “Thank you Alexandra.” He stared at Alya for a few moments before smiling.  “She seems very interested in us.” He commented.

 

“Well she’s probably confused.”  Marinette said, trying not to look at the Gryffindor table. She knew that if she looked at Alya, the girl would start trying to communicate.  “I never did tell her that we met.” She explained.

 

Adrien looked surprised.  “Really?” When she nodded, he looked bemused.  “Thank you.” He said earnestly. “I appreciate that.”

 

“You two met??”  Alexandra demanded. This question turned a few heads, but nobody seemed to realize all that it could imply, and Adrien seemed unphased regardless.

 

Marinette shrugged, hoping her nervousness wasn’t showing.  “I don’t make promises I don’t intend to keep.”

 

“Well you can tell people about that now if you want."  He said with a smile.  "Any chance of me getting you to promise you won’t enter the tournament?”  He asked hopefully.

 

Marinette nodded emphatically.  “Hell yes you can. I’m avoiding that thing at all costs.”  

 

“Oh good.”  Adrien said, relaxing.

 

Marinette speared a piece of turkey with her fork.  “Are you entering?” Marinette asked, shooting him a glance.

 

He hesitated, then sighed.  “I am.” He admitted.

 

“You don’t seem thrilled.”  Marinette said appraisingly.

 

Adrien shrugged.  “Don’t really have a choice. I’m expected to. Besides, I’m extremely competitive.”  He snaked a hand towards her plate again, but she intercepted him and successfully denied him access.

 

“So am I.”  She said with a smirk.  “Get your own food.” Adrien grinned and conjured a plate before adding food to it.

 

They chatted for the rest of dinner before Madame Indigo beckoned for her students to come with her. Marinette sighed, slightly disappointed that their time was over. Adrien also looked disappointed but before he stood, he tapped her shoulder. She looked at him, hardly daring to hope.

 

“See you tomorrow?”  He asked.

 

Marinette felt a surge of relief and excitement flood through her.  “Sure thing.” She grinned. He wrapped his arm around her, pulling her in for a quick hug before getting up and following his headmaster out of the great hall. Marinette smiled as he walked towards the Hufflepuff table and to her surprise, stopped at Nino. He whispered something to him and Nino turned beet red before Adrien, who was now cackling to himself, walked out of the hall.

 

Alexandra was gripping her arm so tightly that Marinette could swear she could feel her bones creaking.  “Marinette. You’re so in.” She whispered. Before Marinette could reply, Alexandra was swept off by several of her 4th year friends who had apparently promised a few Durmstrang Students a tour.

 

Marinette glanced around the slowly emptying Great Hall again. Chloe looked furious. Lila was now purple, which gave Marinette great satisfaction. Professor Bustier looked like she was on the verge of laughing, and she saw Professor Fu raised his glass in her direction, eyes twinkling. As for Alya, even from across the hall, Marinette could feel her best friend staring at her. She knew there would be a lot of questions she would have to answer, and sure enough, the instant she walked out of the Great Hall, Alya grabbed her wrist and dragged her off to the nearest bathroom, where she promptly slammed the door shut behind them and locked it.

 

Alya took a deep breath and turned around to face a very nervous Marinette.  “Explain.” She said calmly.

 

“Er… He was being friendly?”  Marinette suggested.

 

“ _He gave you a hug!”_ Alya shrieked.

 

“He’s French. Maybe that’s how he says goodbye.”  Marinette said, grasping at straws.

 

Alya crossed her arms and scrutinized her.  “What the _hell_ does him being French have to do with him immediately leaving Chloe the millisecond he saw you and sitting down next to you before casually talking with you for the next half hour??”

 

Marinette sighed.  “Alya… It was just a hug for Merlin’s sake _we_ hug all the time.”

 

“But you two don’t know each other!!”  Alya exploded. Marinette flinched. She’d been hoping Alya would miss that point.  “And he looked _ecstatic_ to see you. It was like he’d been told Christmas was coming early.”  

 

Marinette blushed, having not seen this reaction. She cleared her throat, and looked at her best friend guiltily.  “Yeah… About that. I met him after the attack at the World Cup.”

 

Alya’s mouth dropped.  “MARINETTE DUPAIN-CHENG!!!”  she roared.

 

“He asked me to keep it a secret!”  Mari squeaked out. Alya could be terrifying when she wanted to be.  “He said I could talk about it now though.”

  
Alya took a deep breath and rubbed her forehead.  “Fine. _Fine_ . So what _really_ happened that night?”  Marinette took a breath to settle her nerves and began recounting the events of three months ago. They were there for a long time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ADRINETTE aaaaaaaaaaaaaa okay anyways I'm fine. Not quite as exciting as their earlier meeting I know but I can't have them dueling ALL the time that'd be mean. But anyways, hope you guys enjoyed! Adrien can actually be a recurring character now yay!!
> 
> My tumblr is [HERE](https://nebilas-writes.tumblr.com/)! I'm actually caught up now, so I'll start doing previews of my chapters as I go. Also there will probably be some pictures of New York up soon, and then maybe I'll make you guys suffer through my guitar playing but I'll think about it. :D
> 
> Anyways! I hope you all have a lovely day. I have no idea when the next chapter will be out, but I've already started. Hoping to get that out in the next two weeks or so? Not sure, but I'll let you guys know! 
> 
> Love you all!  
> Until Next Time!  
> ~Nebilas~ :D


	12. Cheddar or Camembert?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette receives an invitation, and Adrien gets a tour of the facilities.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Welcome to Chapter 12. :D 
> 
> I don't really have a lot to say. Enjoy!
> 
> Oh wait I lied. Thank you to callmeakumatized for beta reading this! Her tumblr is [HERE](https://callmeakumatized.tumblr.com/) so you should follow her. :D
> 
> Also you should follow me over [here!](https://nebilas-writes.tumblr.com/) We have fun up in this biatch. :) 
> 
> Anyways hope you enjoy this chapter!

Marinette was awoken the next morning by Alexandra jumping up and down on her bed, all but demanding details of how she and Adrien had met. Marinette blearily informed Alexandra that if she didn’t get out of her room in ten seconds she was going to start throwing hexes at her. Alexandra moped out of the room; but she was nothing if not persistent, and returned an hour later, a shield charm already in place as she crept into the dorm.

 

Marinette’s stinging hex ricocheted off of her friends shield, and Marinette resigned herself to waking up. She proceeded to tell the story of meeting Adrien for the second time in twelve hours, not sparing a single detail.

 

Alexandra sat enthralled, listening with rapt attention. When Marinette told her about the killing curse that had been sent at her, Alexandra had the exact same reaction Alya had: shock, fury, and then sweeping Marinette into a hug, while Marinette rubbed her back comfortingly.

 

“You almost died,”  Alexandra murmured.

 

Marinette sighed.  “I know. But I didn’t.”  Alexandra didn’t respond, but continued to hold onto to Marinette, who was beginning to realize that Alexandra was genuinely shaken up by what she had been told.  “You gonna be okay?” she asked gently.

 

Alexandra nodded into her shoulder.  “I’m just glad you aren’t dead,” she mumbled.

 

Marinette snorted.  “Well so am I. Let’s celebrate by going up and eating breakfast.”  Alexandra nodded in agreement, and after Marinette got dressed, the two made their way from the Slytherin dorms up to the Great Hall, where breakfast was already in full swing.

 

Marinette was, at first, perplexed to find the Great Hall so crowded on a Saturday morning, before realizing that with the arrival of the other schools, everyone would want to see more of them, for curiosity's sake at the very least. Many groups were already leaving as she entered, with students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang in their midst, clearly about to go on their tour of the school.

 

Alexandra grabbed Marinette’s arm and dragged her over to a specific part of the Slytherin table, and Marinette quickly realized why. They were headed straight for one Adrien Agreste, who was sitting at the table reading a letter. The two slid onto the bench, Marinette and Alexandra both to his left. He glanced up and smiled warmly, quickly folding the letter and stowing it in his robes.  

 

“Hey!”  He greeted.

 

“Good morning,”  Marinette returned cheerfully, filling her plate with food.  “How’d you sleep?”

 

Adrien shrugged.  “Not as badly as I feared. The carriage beds are fairly comfortable. How about you two?”

 

“Well I _was_ having a great night's sleep,”  Marinette began, “but _someone_ couldn’t wait until I woke up naturally to interrogate me.”

 

“I waited an entire forty-five minutes before I came in,”  Alexandra protested. “You sleep in super late, and I’m not about that life.”  

 

Marinette huffed and settled for filling her plate with food.  “I’m just trying to get in my hours before the season starts up and Brendan starts holding practices at who knows what hour.”

 

“Practice?”  Adrien asked, pausing in his own plate filling.

 

“I’m the Slytherin Keeper,”  Marinette said proudly.

 

“She basically won the Quidditch Cup for us last year,”  Alexandra chimed in, grinning.

 

“An exaggeration.”  Marinette said to Adrien, who was looking more and more impressed by the second.

 

“It really isn’t,”  Interrupted another voice. Brendan stepped up behind the three, arms crossed.  “You gave up four goals in a two-hour match, and we still almost lost.”

 

Marinette opened her mouth to protest, but Adrien beat her to it.  

 

“An exaggeration huh?”  He asked, grinning.

 

“Well based on what _you’ve_ seen, I’m surely not that good,”  she said, nibbling on some toast.

 

“Well, how about I see for myself?”  Adrien suggested. “When’s your next practice?”

 

“I dunno,”  Marinette said with a dramatic sigh.  “Brendan doesn’t usually like outsiders watching our practices...”

 

“YOU CAN COME!!”  Brendan shrieked, causing several heads to turn. Marinette gave Adrien a wink, and he smirked. Brendan flushed and shuffled awkwardly.  “I mean, if you really want to.”

 

“I would love to,”  Adrien said, chuckling.  “When is it?”

 

“Tonight at six,”  Marinette said, before taking a large bite of biscuit.  “Haf ‘ulian recovered?” She asked hopefully.

 

Brendan nodded distractedly.  “Yeah he’s fine now. I already told Lila,”  he added as an afterthought.

 

“I bet she was thrilled.”  Alexandra said dryly as an owl landed on her shoulder. She offered it some bacon and took the letter from it.

 

Brendan snorted.  “Well, _maybe_ if she was a better Seeker she _would_ be the starter. Fortunately, she isn’t, so we don’t have to put up with her attitude on a daily basis.”  A thought struck him. “Julian might try and get you to teach him some tricks….” He told Adrien, with a guilty yet slightly hopeful look on his face.

 

“I’d be happy to,”  Adrien said with a laugh.

 

“Great!”  Brendan said.  “I’ll just be on my way then. Have a good morning!”  he called as he walked off.

 

“Speaking of morning, do you have any plans?”  Adrien asked, turning his attention back to Marinette

 

“Besides eating? Not really,”  she replied.

 

“Would you be willing to give me a tour?”  he asked. “Hogwarts is rather famous and I’d love to see it.”

 

“Oh! I’d be happy to!”  Marinette said. “Is your morning completely clear? It might take a while.”

 

“My schedule is clear until six,”  Adrien said, reassuring her. “And that also revolves around you.”  

 

Marinette laughed.  “I guess it does. Alexandra, are you coming?”  When she didn’t get a response, she nudged the girl, who jolted as if shocked. Alexandra quickly folded the piece of parchment she had been holding.

 

“Sorry! What did you ask?”

 

Marinette frowned.  “I asked if you wanted to come with us when I give Adrien a tour.”

 

“Oh!”  Alexandra hesitated, and then shook her head.  “No, but... Adrien, could I talk to you before the two of you go?”  

 

Adrien looked surprised, but seemed to get over it quickly, because he nodded in response.  

 

“Thank you.”  She murmured.

 

Adrien gave Marinette a questioning look but she didn’t know either, so she shrugged. A thoughtful frown crossed his face, but it vanished without a trace as conversation was redirected towards classes and where he wanted the tour to start. They eventually decided to start at the top and work their way down, if only to save their legs from walking upstairs at the end.

 

As they wrapped up breakfast, Adrien turned to Alex.  

 

“So what was it you wanted to say?”  he asked.

 

Alex shot a furtive look at Marinette, and then glanced back to him.  “Can we be... Alone?” She asked awkwardly. “It’s a... Stilted conversation.”  

 

Adrien did a double take. Marinette noted how he seemed to reappraise Alexandra as though this was his first time meeting her.  “Sure,” he said after a moment's hesitation. “Lead the way. Marinette can I meet you at the Entrance Hall?”

 

Marinette was more than a little taken aback by his sudden change of demeanor. She paused, then nodded. Adrien flashed her a grateful smile, and he and Alexandra rose from the table. Marinette followed their progress as they walked through the Great Hall, not uttering a single word to each other. Half of her wanted to go after them, but she ignored the urge and, instead, settled for taking one last bacon strip before standing up. She meandered out of the Great Hall, not in any kind of rush.

 

As she walked through the halls, she passed a few other groups taking tours. Alya - rather unsurprisingly - was leading one, and she waved to Marinette, who waved back. Alya made several over-the-top hand gestures, which Marinette recognized as her wanting to talk to her. Marinette only flashed a thumbs up in response, continuing down to the entrance hall, which was empty. She sat down on the bottom step and pulled out her wand, intent on practicing.

 

 _“Avis.”_ She murmured.

 

A puff of smoke erupted from her wand and twisted into a small cloud before vanishing, revealing several small blue birds. She smiled as the birds twittered and chirped, flying around her head. She hummed softly to herself as she watched them fly until she was interrupted by a polite cough from behind her.

 

“Headmaster Fu!”  She gasped, recognizing who had joined her. She quickly rose to her feet, suddenly worrying that she’d spilled something on her robes during breakfast.

 

The headmaster gave her a warm smile. Even standing two steps up, she still towered over the older man, which was some feat given how short _she_ was.  

 

“Good morning Miss Dupain-Cheng. How do you find yourself this weekend?”

 

“I’m doing alright Headmaster,”  she said, smiling. “Better than alright, actually.”

 

“Indeed?”  he asked, eyes twinkling.  “That wouldn’t have to do with a certain French Seeker now would it?”

 

Marinette flushed.  “Well... that’s part of it,”  she admitted. “But this year was going well even before he showed up.”

 

“I am delighted to hear it,”  he replied, beaming.

 

“What brings you here, Sir?”  She asked, curious.

 

“Well, in a rather happy coincidence, I was hoping to speak to you about a rather pressing matter.”

 

“Oh!”  Marinette said in surprise, a flood of nervousness suddenly washing over her.  “What.... Have I done something wrong?”

 

“Not at all!”  Fu assured. “Just something that has come to my attention. Would you be willing to meet in my office tomorrow night at eleven?”

 

Marinette nodded eagerly.  “Of course! If I may ask, why so late, Headmaster? I do have morning classes.”

 

Fu frowned, as though he’d just had a discussion on the matter.  

 

“I’m aware, but there will be a few other people attending this meeting, and one of them.... Well, he likes his privacy, and he only ever appears during the night.”

 

Marinette blinked.  “I.. See?” She said uncertainty.

 

Fu gave her a wry smile.  “Even I don’t understand him fully, Marinette. Perhaps we will both learn something tomorrow.”  

 

Marinette nodded, unsure of how to reply. The headmaster chuckled.  “Don’t worry. I’ll see you tomorrow night. Have a good day Marinette.”  He added as he began to walk up the stairs he had just descended.

 

“See you tomorrow Headmaster!”  Marinette called. She watched until the headmaster disappeared from view, and sat back down on the step, lost in thought. Without warning, one of her birds flew in front of her face and she jumped. She watched as it flew up towards a window and out of it, the rest of her birds following suit. An idea popped into her head, and she glanced around nervously.

 

She drew her wand again and concentrated.

 

“ _Expecto Patronum,”_ she breathed.

 

A dense silver mist began to pour from her wand, flowing into the room. The mist began to wriggle, as though it were about to take a shape, but it collapsed just as quickly, and the mist soon vanished. Marinette frowned in disappointment.

 

“Impressive,”  a voice said behind her. She turned around, and was greeted by the sight of Adrien descending the stairs, an apologetic smile on his face.  “I’m sorry for intruding. I know Patronuses are private.”

 

Marinette scoffed.  “If you could call that pathetic effort a Patronus.”

 

“Pathetic??”  Adrien said, bewildered.  “That was amazing! Most witches and wizards don’t even _get_ that far. How long have you been practicing?”

 

“Since late last semester.”  Marinette said, looking downcast.

 

Adrien hummed thoughtfully.  “Your summer break probably didn’t help much did it? I wonder....”

 

“Can you do it?”  Marinette asked, when it appeared that Adrien wasn’t going to break from his thoughts anytime soon.

 

“What?”  Adrien asked, snapped from his musings.  “Oh, yes. I can...” he said, looking decidedly uncomfortable.  “I… don’t exactly like showing it off though.”

 

Marinette nodded in understanding.  “I get it. Like you said, it’s personal.”  

 

Adrien nodded awkwardly and rubbed the back of his neck, eyes looking anywhere but her.

 

Marinette sighed and put her wand away.  “Are you ready for your tour?” Adrien immediately brightened and nodded eagerly. Marinette grinned and led him into the depths of the castle.

 

XxXxXxXxXx

 

“So that’s the Transfiguration classroom, and there’s a practice room next to it. There’s another room down there sometimes, but it depends on if the moon is out or not.”

 

“...I can’t tell if you’re messing with me or not.”  Adrien said, staring blankly down the corridor.

 

“Totally serious,”  Marinette replied. “My friend got stuck in there once, and we had to wait until the next day to rescue her.”  

 

Adrien let out a bark of laughter.  “Ok, so let me get this straight. The stairs change; there are some trick steps on said stairs that can send you plummeting to the ground; doors appear and disappear based on timing; if you touch them, or if you know the password for them, as well as that one that managed to appear from nowhere that you said you’d never seen before? Do I have that right?”

 

“Don’t forget that once a month the entire Charms corridor decides to pick up shop and go somewhere else, forcing you to use several spells to track it down,”  Marinette said brightly. “Though that isn’t so much the castle as it is Vincent’s work.”

 

“Vincent?”  Adrien asked curiously.

 

“Oh! He’s the Charms professor!”  Marinette said excitedly. “He runs the charms and dueling clubs!”  

 

Adrien’s head snapped up.  “You have a dueling club?” he demanded, a grin beginning to spread on his face.

 

Marinette nodded enthusiastically and started walking down the next flight of stairs.  “Yeah! And it’s amazing! Some days we just practice, but others we have miniature tournaments. There’s also a challenge system, because he ranks everyone based on how they’re doing. It’s this huge competition. The whole school gets invested during the last tournament, and the winner of each tourney gets a prize!”

 

“I’m assuming there are different tournaments for the various age groups?”  Adrien queried.

 

“There are,”  Marinette said.  “It wouldn’t be fair if a first year had to duel a seventh year.”

 

“I wonder if they’ll allow Beauxbatons students to compete in some.”  He mused.

 

Marinette hummed thoughtfully.  “Maybe. But I’ve seen you duel, and I think I speak for everyone when I say, ‘Merlin, I hope not’.”

 

“You aren’t too terrible yourself _Princesse_.”  Adrien replied with a wink.  “I’m sure there are many a person who dreads the thought of dueling you.”  

 

“Maybe,”  Marinette said, fighting the blush that was surely creeping onto her face.  “Oh, watch out for that stair,” she added, hopping over it. Adrien did the same, and the two continued.

 

Marinette was watching Adrien taking in the pictures adorning the wall when he paused.  

 

“That bird...”  he said, pointing up.

 

Marinette followed his gaze to a window, where a small blue bird sat. It had orange chest plumage that faded into white, as well as a white streak down its left wing. It was staring down at the two, chirping away.

 

“What about it?”  Marinette asked.

 

Adrien frowned.  “Are there many of that species here?”

 

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen a bird like that,”  she replied truthfully.

 

Adrien hummed thoughtfully.  “That’s probably because it’s a bluebird. They aren’t native to Europe. I wonder….”  He stared at it for a few moments before shaking his head. “It’s fine,” he said, flashing her a smile.  “I’m sure it’s nothing. Besides, you’re far more captivating.”  


Marinette snorted, and started walking away.  “That was _so_ cheesy.”

 

“But it’s true,”  he laughed, following her.

 

“Flattering, but still cheesy.”

 

“Cheddar or camembert?”

 

“Oh my _God,_ Adrien.”

 

“I’m just saying, one is vastly superior....”

 

Marinette laughed and led him down a new hallway. The two disappeared into the castle again, away from the watchful eyes of the bluebird, who nipped at her wing. Soon she too departed, flying off into the castle, turning down a few corridors, and into an empty classroom, where she shifted into her human form. She slid out of the classroom warily and made her way through the castle, shaking. _He knew._ She thought, heart still racing from sheer terror. _He knew I was human._

 

An image of the young man’s glare flashed through her head and she took a deep breath.

 

_He hasn’t even met you. He won’t be able to recognize you. You’ll be fine._

 

The animagus took one last collecting breath and stepped into the Great Hall. Lunch had just been served.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all! Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! I actually had to do some research for this, because the character that's the bluebird? Yeah I'd already picked the animagus, and then I was like 'Oh wait! I should double check to make sure they live in England!" Yeah fun fact they don't, and I wasn't about to change their animal, because I'm stubborn. So I added this little scene. So yay!
> 
> Anyways. I'm not sure when the next chapter will be up, I haven't really started it yet, BUT I know what's going to happen in it which is more I could say about this one. Still, it's a good thing I didn't do any foreshadowing this chapter, because then you'd just be waiting in anticipation for what's about to come with no end in sight. 
> 
> (Deafening Silence)
> 
> Okay okay fine. I'll take three questions. Uh yes you over there!
> 
> Adrien: Yeah so pretty sure that having a bunch of stairs that could just drop you to the ground is pretty illegal.  
> Me: That's.. Not a question.  
> Adrien (Under his breath): Pas de merde.  
> Me: What was that punk? I write for you. I can make you suffer.  
> Adrien: Can I spend more time with Marinette?  
> Me: What? Yes, obviously you can. You're the ship. Probably  
> Adrien: Sweet. Wait what do you mean probab-
> 
> Yeah okay anyways NEXT QUESTION.
> 
> Marinette: What were Alexandra and Adrien talking about during their-  
> Me: Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhush  
> Marinette: But-  
> Me: SHUSH
> 
> Last question!
> 
> Random Reader who will surely bring this up: Hey soooo who's that bird? Cause it's an animagus. Sooo who is it?  
> Me: It's a secret.  
> Random Reader: But-  
> Me: Shush your face. I'll give you another question.  
> Random Reader: When is Hawkmoth gonna show up?  
> Me: Hawkmoth is dead, haven't you been paying attention? Everyone in the story thinks he's dead so there.  
> Random Reader: But in Chapter 8 Master Fu said-  
> Me: ANYWAYS THAT'S ALL THE TIME WE HAVE SEE YOU NEXT TIME BYEEEEE
> 
> Hope you guys have a lovely day. :D
> 
> Until Next Time!  
> ~Nebilas~


	13. Flying High

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello. My roomate is currently playing a mixture of terrible songs on his keyboard. They include, but are not limited to; a double time polka version of "Hallelujah", "Mary Had a Little Lamb" in triads, and "Take On Me", which isn't modified at all, but it's Take On Me. Send help. I fear I may not last much longer.
> 
> On a brighter note, I actually finished a chapteeeerrrrr it's amazing and unheard of I know!! It's been... Ooh. Almost three months. Sorry. But I did it! :D Enjoy some Adrinette fluff. :)
> 
> Also thank you CallMeAkumatized because hoo boy was this chapter a mess. You are wonderful. I am forever in your debt.
> 
> You can follow me on tumblr [HERE :D](https://nebilas-writes.tumblr.com/)

As the day stretched on and the tour dwindled to an end, Marinette was searching for an out. Not because she was tired of Adrien’s presence, in fact it was the opposite! It was just... There were only so many flirtatious comments and compliments that she could take without pinning him to a wall and kissing him senseless. Based on how she’d caught herself reaching for his hair to play with it, ( _ Just one touch wouldn’t hurt right? Merlin, it looks SO FLUFFY.)  _ on three separate occasions, she decided the best course of action was to direct him to somewhere with more people, if only to restrain herself.

 

Fortunately, she was given the perfect excuse to do just that when they stumbled upon Brendan, who was pacing back and forth looking agitated. His expression immediately brightened when he saw the two.

 

“Marinette! Mr. Agreste!”  

 

Marinette noticed how Adrien winced at the sound of his name.

 

“Brendan. Please call me Adrien.  _ Please. _ ” 

 

Brendan looked startled, as though he hadn’t realized what he’d called the blonde.  “Oh! Right, sorry. Anyways, Marinette would you be willing to come down to the Quidditch pitch right now?”

 

“Sure, what’s up?”  Marinette asked, starting to walk down the stairs, Adrien in tow.

 

“I overheard the Gryffindors planning to hide the equipment after they were done with it,”  Brendan grumbled, quickly joining them.

 

“That seems impolite,”  Adrien said with a frown.

 

Marinette shrugged.  “Nothing too terrible. Just a friendly rivalry is all. They’re still upset we got one up on them last year.”  A smirk began growing on her face.

 

“On the pitch or in a…”  Adrien hesitated for a moment.  “ _ Oh l’enfer. _ ”  He muttered.  “What’s the word for ‘ _ farce’? _ ”  He asked. 

 

Marinette stared at him blankly. A glance to her left showed her that Brendan looked just as lost. 

 

“You realize we have no way of answering that right?”  Marinette asked, bemused.

 

“ _ Oui,”   _ Adrien muttered. He began mumbling to himself in French, still trying to remember the word he had apparently forgotten. 

 

“But we did beat them in the match last year!”  Brendan said helpfully.

 

“And the prank war,”  Marinette added with a grin.

 

“PRANK!”  Adrien exploded. Marinette and Brendan both jumped at the sudden shout.  “That was it! ‘Prank’!” he exclaimed, face lit up in victory.

 

Marinette laughed.  “Good job.” 

 

“But there was a prank war?”  Adrien asked.

 

“Oh yes!”  Marinette said, grin becoming more sly.  “And it was glorious.”

 

“It started with them hiding our brooms,”  Brendan explained as they walked by the Great Hall,   “We eventually tracked them down, but we retaliated the week after.”

 

A grin was growing on Adrien’s face and he turned towards Marinette.  “What’d you do?” he asked excitedly.

 

“Oh you know,”  Marinette said blithely.  “A simple Transfiguration spell that changed the Bludgers into snakes when they tried to release them.”

 

“Ahhh, the screams...”  Brendan said, looking wistful.   “That was such a good day.”

 

Marinette continued to tell Adrien about the teams endeavors of making the Gryffindor teams lives miserable as they walked towards the pitch,  where the Gryffindor quidditch team was wrapping up practice. They had just finished putting all of the equipment away, and had picked up the chest containing the balls. A few of them were giggling and glancing around, making sure they weren’t being observed.

 

“Oi! Duncan!”  Brendan shouted at the Gryffindor captain from across the pitch. 

 

“Come off it Gray!”  Duncan retorted. The Gryffindor team looked visibly disappointed, and quickly put the chest back down. Adrien and Marinette chuckled as the Gryffindor team sulked off the field.

 

“We’re going to get you back!”  One of the Gryffindors shouted defiantly.

 

“Yeah yeah,”  Brendan muttered, dismissing them with a wave of his hand. He started walking towards the locker rooms and glanced at Marinette.  “Come on, let’s go get dressed.” 

 

“Coming!”  Marinette said brightly, before turning back to Adrien.  “Can you guard the trunk?” She asked hopefully. 

 

Adrien chuckled and winked.  “ _ Avec ma vie, Princesse.”   _  He turned and walked off to the chest without another word. 

 

Marinette stood rooted to the spot, heat rising in her cheeks. A sentence that  _ she couldn’t even understand  _ had just sent her brain into lockdown. 

 

“Marinette!”  Brendan called.  “Let’s go!”

 

That snapped her out of her reverie and she ran across the field to change. As she approached the changing room however, her mind was far from Quidditch. One thought kept bouncing around her head, and it had nothing to do with Quaffles or brooms.

 

_ Screwed. I am  _ so  _ screwed. _

 

XxXxXxXxXx

 

Marinette hummed to herself and drifted lazily in front of her goalposts. The Quaffle was currently on the other end of the pitch, where Brendan was holding it, speaking to the rest of the Chasers. The team Beaters, Albert Chambers and Josh Mason, were hitting a Bludger back and forth with increasing speed, trying to get the other to flinch first. 

 

Marinette paused in her aimless drifting and chanced a glance towards Adrien, who she had still not completely gotten off of her mind. The Quidditch star was watching the practice with mild interest, though Marinette had a suspicion that he was vaguely bored, if only because he was twirling his wand in intricate patterns as he watched. 

 

She marveled at his wand speed. His control was flawless, leaving a mixture of colors in the air in front of him, weaving a pattern that looked almost plant like as it spread through the air. Marinette reluctantly tore her gaze away at the sound of Brendan’s whistle, and she shifted her attention towards her teammates, who had just started to fly towards her. 

 

She took a deep breath and flew into position. It was a classic 2 on 1 drill. Amelia was the one on defense, while Brendan and Derrick Vaughn went on the attack. If Amelia got beat on a move, it would be Marinette against two, and it was hard enough to save the quaffle when it was just  her against one attacker. 

 

Amelia swooped over to pressure Derrick, forcing him to pass the quaffle to Brendan, who caught it smoothly. Marinette quickly maneuvered herself between the left and center rings, ensuring Brendan didn’t have an easy shot at goal. Brendan noticed this, and immediately shot towards the middle of the pitch. Just when Marinette thought he was going to shoot, he lofted the ball up and to the side, neatly arcing it over Amelia’s outstretched arm and directly into Derrick’s hands. 

 

Marinette was already flying when Derrick released a furious shot on the ring to her right. Marinette leaned desperately over her broom and got a fingertip to the Quaffle. The misshapen ball glanced off of her finger and clanged off the hoop before plummeting to the ground, eliciting a few choice words from Derrick, who quickly pursued the ball, snatching it before it could hit the ground.

 

Marinette grinned victoriously and fistbumped Amelia as she flew by. 

 

“Great save,”  The blonde girl complimented, looking relieved.  “Sorry I let them get the shot off.”

 

Marinette waved her off.  “Don’t worry about it,” she said reassuringly.  “That was a great play by Brendan. Derrick just got unlucky.”

 

“Have you considered letting us score once or twice?”  Derrick pleaded, whizzing up next to them, “To give us just a  _ tiny  _ confidence boost?”

 

“Nope!”  Marinette replied cheerfully.  “Cause that way when you  _ do  _ beat me, you’ll know it was for real.”

 

“ _ If  _ we beat you,”  He replied moodily. 

 

“ _ When,”   _ Marinette said firmly.  “You almost had me there. Seriously. I barely got to that shot.”

 

Derrick perked up slightly.  “Really?” he asked, looking hopeful.

 

“Really,”  Marinette confirmed with a chuckle.  “You’ll get me soon. I can feel it.” She raised a fist, and he tapped it with his own. 

 

Marinette then noticed that behind them, Brendan was grinning like a fool, and she had a suspicion he’d been listening to her and Derrick’s conversation. He flashed her a thumbs up, before rising to join them. 

 

“Alright,”  he began, looking around the field.  “We’re gonna try again, but this time it’ll be the three of us against the beaters. Just one bludger will be in play, but we had issues against bludgers last year, and we need to be prepared for that. Marinette, you can sit out this drill, you’ve been in the last four. Get some water, take a break.”

 

“You don’t need to tell me twice,”  Marinette said with a grin. She quickly descended to the pitch and smoothly slid off of her broom, heading for the water jug at midfield. Humming happily, she poured herself a cup and took a long drink.

 

“Nice save.”  

 

Marinette shrieked and dropped her water. She whirled around, scowling.  

 

“Don’t  _ do _ that!”  she growled at Adrien, who had somehow made it down from the grandstands in an instant.

 

Adrien grinned unabashedly and winked.  “I wanted to talk to you, and you weren’t making eye contact. I had to come down here myself.”

 

“Oh, sorry,”  Marinette apologized, bending down to pick up her cup so that he couldn’t see the heat rising in her cheeks. She stood and began refilling her cup  “How  _ did  _ you get down here anyways?”  

 

“I jumped.”

 

The cup fell to the ground again and spilled its contents all over Marinette’s boots.  

 

“You did  _ what??”   _ She screeched.

 

“I… jumped?”  Adrien asked, looking bemused.

 

“From the sixty-foot grandstands?”  Marinette asked in disbelief.

 

“Well you can’t Apparate on the grounds.”

 

It almost sounded to Marinette like Adrien was trying to rationalize  _ jumping off of a structure.  _ It wasn't working. 

  
“There are stairs!!”  Marinette stressed, pointing at them, as though to prove her point.

 

“There’s also gravity and ‘ _ arresto momentum’ _ ,”  He countered with a shrug.  “It’s faster, more fun, and more efficient.”

 

Marinette was nearing hysterics as she replied.  “Oh yes of course.” she cried, arms flailing dramatically.  “Let me just throw myself off of a sixty foot drop because I don’t really feel like taking the stairs right now!!”

 

“You should!”  Adrien said cheerfully.  “It’s fun!”

 

Marinette stared at him slack jawed, before she turned on her heel and strode towards her broom. 

 

“Where are you going?”  Adrien called, laughing.

 

“Up!”  Marinette growled.  “I need to not be looking at your stupid face for at least five minutes.”

 

“I’ll have you know that  _ several  _ magazines have called me quite a  _ catch. _ ”

 

Marinette stopped dead and whirled around.  “Did you just  _ pun?? _ ”  She demanded, eyes blazing with indignation.

 

“Did it work?”  Adrien asked, looking hopeful.  “I’m much better with my puns in French.”

 

“Merlin, I hate you right now,”  Marinette growled, climbing onto her broom.

 

“Marinette!”  Adrien whined as she lifted off.

 

“What?”  she asked dangerously, hovering fifteen feet up.

 

“I’m sorry I threw myself off of the grandstand,”  He apologized, his smirk still plastered on his face.  “Will you come back down?”

 

Marinette contemplated, staring down at him.  “Are you sorry for the pun?”

 

Adrien’s smirk grew into a full blown grin.  “If I said I was?” 

 

Marinette steeled herself against his grin, which was suddenly very distracting.  “I’d come back down.” 

 

A moments hesitation, and then,  “I’m not sorry,” Adrien confessed, a giggle escaping his mouth.

 

Marinette felt her heart lurch.  “Then  _ goodbye.” _  She forced out, and then she shot off into the sky, leaving a laughing Adrien behind her. 

 

She allowed a small smile of her own to cross her face when she was sure he couldn’t make out her features anymore. She took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart. Merlin, it had been a giggle.  _ A giggle. _

 

“No one person should have that much cuteness,”  she muttered to herself, slowing down to a more reasonable speed. Eventually she halted altogether, stopping a few hundred feet above the pitch. She began surveying the practice, if only to take her mind off of a certain blonde, wincing as one of her teammates got hit in the stomach with a bludger.

 

A soft hoot interrupted her quidditch watching, and she turned to see Tikki, happily perched on the end of her broom.

 

“Hey girl, how are you today?”  she asked, offering a hand. 

 

Tikki took a step closer, allowing Marinette to stroke her feathers. The owl crooned happily, and Marinette smiled. Marinette remained silent for a few moments, merely watching the practice and letting the wind blow through her hair.

 

“You know, I think I understand why you like being up so high Tikki,”  She murmured, letting her eyes drift shut, enjoying the light touch of the diminishing sunlight.  “It’s calming.”

 

“Isn’t it?”  a familiar voice asked.

 

A sigh escaped Marinette’s lips, but her heart betrayed its true nature, fluttering in her chest. 

 

“I said I wanted to be alone,”  she chided, not looking at him for fear of him seeing the smile on her face.

 

“No, you said you didn’t want to see my face for five minutes, and by my count it’s been at least that long.”

 

“Mmm.”  She hummed noncommittally.  “Fine. I can  _ allow  _ you to stay- OH MY GOD!!!”  she shrieked as she finally turned to look at him.

 

Adrien gave her a lopsided grin. An  _ upside-down _ grin. The blonde was hanging from his broom  _ upside down _ . Marinette took a deep breath.

 

“What is with you and giving me heart attacks today?”  she muttered, rubbing her forehead in a mixture of frustration and admiration. 

 

“I’m not even using my arms!”  he pointed out cheerfully, giving her a cheeky wave.

 

“Of course not,”  Marinette replied with an eye roll.  “ _ That _ would be safe and responsible.”

 

Adrien laughed and righted himself in a fluid motion. He eyed her, still smiling until his gaze shifted past her and out over the horizon where the sun was setting, tinging the sky orange and pink. She floated over to join him, noticing how the mirth that had been ever present in his eyes had seemed to diminish.

 

“Hey Adrien?”  Marinette inquired softly, breaking the silence as the sun continued its descent.

 

“Hmm?”  He replied, snapping his eyes away the skyline.  

 

“You know how I went to the World Cup?”  

 

“I doubt I could forget,”  he laughed. “What about it?”

 

“It’s… it’s dumb, but I noticed you didn’t sing the national anthem.”  she forced out. “Was there a reason for that?”

 

Adrien’s smile slipped off his face, and he looked back at the sunset. Marinette could practically feel the tension radiating from him, and she opened her mouth to take back the question, only to snap it shut again when he opened his own to reply..

 

“When I was fourteen, I had a friend named Joel.”  Adrien sighed, and a small smile crossed his face. “He was a Muggleborn exchange student from America. He’s the main reason I can speak English so well. We met through a dueling club I was enrolled in, and we hit it off. We started spending a lot of time together, and he was my best friend for about a year.”  Adrien took a deep breath and his smile vanished again.

 

“Then… On July eleventh, the  _ anniversary,”  _  he bit out, “of the end of the war.  _ ‘the end of discrimination _ ...’”  he sneered,  “,it all went to hell. We were leaving one of the parties around town. He’d snuck me out of my house because… well. Let’s just say my dad is a tad overbearing. But we’d gone out and had fun. He dropped me off back at my house, and I told him to be safe, and he laughed.”  Adrien shook his head and stared out over the horizon, not really seeing what was in front of him.

 

“His picture was on the front page of the paper the next day. The report said that he’d been tortured, was nearly unrecognizable, and the words “ _Sang de Bourbe”_ had been branded on his forehead.”

 

“Mudblood...”  Marinette whispered.  

 

“Yeah,”  Adrien murmured.  “Turns out, some people wholeheartedly bought what Hawkmoth had been selling. Even eight years later.”  

 

He sighed again, looking down at his hands. “And then, at the world cup, when The Following actually showed up… I almost killed that last guy you know. I stunned him in the end but… I was tempted.”  

 

Adrien glanced back up at her, his face a mess of emotions, worry and guilt chief among them.  

 

“Does that scare you?”  He asked, voice weary. Marinette hesitated a moment before answering.

 

“Yes, it does,”  Marinette replied truthfully.  “But I’m not scared of  _ you _ .”  At Adrien’s questioning look, she elaborated.  “That decision you made… to stay your hand? That’s the difference between people like them and people like us. If the other guy had had the chance he would have killed you in an instant, for no reason, and with no remorse. You had every reason, and you held back.”  

 

When Adrien didn’t say reply, she drifted closer, and placed a hand on his. A weary but grateful smile flashed across his face, before he shook his head.

 

“I just… I want revenge, Marinette,”  he said blandly. “An eye for an eye, except I want to rip out both eyes and stomp them into dust.”

 

Marinette didn’t have an answer for him, but he didn’t seem to need one. He was visibly relaxing, and he eventually let out a huff of derisive laughter.

 

“What?”  Marinette asked, curious.

 

“Oh just something my mother used to say,”  he answered.  _ “Le problème avec un œil pour œil est qu’il laisse tout le monde aveugle.”   _

 

“What does that mean?”  Marinette queried.

 

Adrien smirked.  “The trouble with ‘an eye for an eye’, is it leaves everyone blind.”  

 

He hummed and drifted away from her, heading back down towards the ground below.  

 

“Come on, we should head back. Big announcement tonight!”

 

Marinette blinked, before diving after him. Returning to the changing room, she quickly swapped out her Quidditch robes for her school robes and rushed out to meet Adrien. The pair walked in a comfortable silence, lost in their own worlds as they made their way up the hill to The Great Hall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hehehehehe love me some Adrien angst. Sorry for the lack of warning, but uh... Wanted it to be a surprise. So yeah! Hope you liked! I very much enjoyed writing it. What? What's that? When will the next chapter be? What will it be about? 
> 
> Well... I know the answer to one of those things. I know the topic, just not, uh... When. Cause I haven't started it yet. (awkward laugh) Anyways byyyyyeeeee lemme know what you thooought.
> 
> Love you all  
> ~nebilas~


	14. The Goblet of Fire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dinner and a meeting.
> 
> (Gosh Nebilas how descriptive)
> 
> Thanks! :D I've been working on my adjectives and I ohhhh you were being sarcastic right. Carry on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! It's been 104 days since my last update! 
> 
> Sorry about that. But anyways I hope you like this chapter. For once I actually liked how it turned out?? I am confusion. 
> 
> As always special thanks to callmeakumatized for editing. I'd be lost without you. Seriously.
> 
> Also my tumblr is [HERE](https://nebilas-writes.tumblr.com/) so if you want to keep up with what I'm doing, that's the place to do it. :) Have a good day! :D

**Chapter 14: The Goblet of Fire**

 

When Marinette and Adrien walked into The Great Hall, it was already packed with students. The benches were stuffed with more rear ends than they were ever meant to hold, some of them creaking under the strain of so many people on them. 

 

Marinette eyeballed the Slytherin table, hoping to find a few spaces, but she couldn’t seem to find one, nor could she pick out Alexandra from the crowd. She deflated slightly, and began weighing her options. Should she say goodbye to Adrien now, or should she hope people would be willing to slide over for the two of them?

 

“Hey,”  Adrien commented, snapping the long silence that had settled between them.  “There are a few seats over there. And isn’t that your friend?”

 

Marinette turned to look and sure enough, Alya was chatting amiably with several people, and had a few empty seats next to her. Adrien took a few steps towards the table, but Marinette quickly grabbed his arm.

 

“I, uh… I can’t sit over there,”  she admitted, cheeks turning pink in embarrassment.

 

“What?”  Adrien asked, his eyebrows raising in confusion.  “Why not?”

 

“That’s the Gryffindor table,”  Marinette explained. “All of the houses sit separately.”

 

“Why?”

 

“What?”  Marinette asked, taken aback by the blunt question. 

 

Adrien glanced around, seeming to notice the general color coding that was taking place around the hall, only disrupted by the colors from other schools.  

 

“I mean, why? What’s the point? Why do you alienate yourselves from one another?”

 

Marinette blinked at him, unable to come up with a reasonable answer.  “Because, that’s how it’s always been I guess?” 

 

Adrien stared at her, glanced back at the hall, and then back to Marinette.  “ _ C’est des conneries,”   _ he said flatly, then grabbed her hand and began pulling her towards the Gryffindor table.

 

“Adrien wait!”  Marinette hissed, futilely trying to tug her hand out of his .  “We can’t do this!”

 

“Have you ever tried?”  Adrien asked over his shoulder.

 

“Well… no,”   she conceded, still being pulled along.  “But we can’t!”

 

“Says who?”  

 

Marinette stared at him, searching for an answer that could get her out of this situation

 

“Says… um… the rules?” 

 

Adrien didn’t bother to respond to her poor attempt at escape, and the two approached Alya, who had noticed their progress through the hall, and whose eyeballs had been getting progressively wider as they’d neared. 

 

“Hello,”  Adrien greeted politely, as a mortified Marinette hid behind him, realizing that on top of everything else,  _ he was still holding her hand _ .  “You must be Alya Cesaire. Marinette has told me quite a bit about you. Do you mind if we sit here?”

 

“Of- of course!”  Alya stammered, scooting over a few more inches, glancing at Marinette who was refusing to make eye contact with her.

 

Adrien slid in, so that there was a space between him and Alya, and gestured for Marinette to sit down. 

 

Marinette for her part, was ready to flee. There were several pairs of eyes on her, and she was feeling more than a little self-conscious from all of the attention.

 

Everyone staring at her on a Quidditch pitch? Fine. This? 

 

Nuh-uh.

 

“Girl, come on,”  Alya urged, a pleading look on her face.  “I’ve been trying to get you to do this for years! Just give it a shot!”

 

Marinette hesitated for a few more seconds, preparing herself mentally for being in such close proximity to Adrien, knowing damn well that the blonde was about to be very, very smug, and would be unfairly cute while he was. Nevertheless, she tentatively slid onto the bench, a beaming Adrien on her left, and a happy, but suddenly nervous looking Alya on her right.

 

Marinette looked around worriedly. Nobody at the staff table had seemed to notice, or care, though a few Gryffindors along the table were glowering at her. One appeared to have half a mind to tell her to shove off, but before he could, the lights began to dim, and Headmaster Fu stepped up to his podium.

 

“Welcome, students, staff, and our other visitors, who will soon be introduced,”  he said warmly. “Today marks a new era of a truly legendary event. One that stretches back nearly 800 years. After more than 300 years of waiting, we can finally say that the Tri-Wizard Tournament will be taking place once again!”

 

Applause broke out and soon the entire hall was cheering and whooping, excited for the chance to be part of history.

 

“We have many announcements and many rules we have to lay down, but first… we eat!”  He clapped his hands and the platters immediately filled with food.

 

Marinette promptly dove towards the towering platter of pastries, hoping to eat away her anxiety of being at the Gryffindor table. She was fully aware of Alya sitting next to her, looking as though she was going to start hurling questions at any moment. 

 

“So…”  Alya drawled, switching her view from Marinette to the blonde quidditch star.  “You’re Adrien.” 

 

Marinette nearly choked on her danish.

 

Adrien, for his part, seemed unperturbed by the sudden scrutiny. 

 

“That’s me!”  he replied cheerfully, taking a large bite of the shepherd's pie that he’d selected, humming in content.

 

Alya scrutinized him with an evil eye, which Adrien took in stride, continuing to chew without a care in the world.

 

“Thank you,”  Alya finally said, voice becoming soft and genuine,  “For what you did at the world cup. You saved Marinette’s life, and I don’t think there’s a way I could express my gratitude enough.”

 

Adrien waved her away.  “I just did what anyone else would have done.”

 

“If that’s the case, then why did nobody else help?”  Alya countered, shaking her head bitterly. “Most people are utter garbage, and you helped someone you didn’t have to. Accept the graciousness.” 

 

“Well in that case, you’re very welcome Ms. Cesaire,”  Adrien laughed. “Besides, imagine if I hadn’t. I might have gotten stranded with Ms. Prime Ministers Daughter over there.”  He jerked his head towards Chloe, and gave an exaggerated shudder.

 

Alya snorted, and immediately any conflict Marinette had been fearing became nonexistent, and the tension eased out of her shoulders as Alya began telling Adrien about herself at the blonde’s request. 

 

Dinner proceeded at a surprisingly quick pace, considering the tension that was becoming nearly palpable. More and more conversations were turning back to the reason the other Beauxbatons and Durmstrang had arrived in the first place. Nobody was quite sure what to expect, but everyone was well aware of just how exciting it was going to be.

 

It was as dessert wound down to an end that Master Fu stood back up from his chair and clapped his hands once making the food disappear.

 

Adrien, who was in the middle of a delicious piece of chocolate fudge cake, bit down on nothing, and was supremely disappointed.

 

The hall immediately fell silent, all turning their gaze on the short headmaster.

 

“Excellent, excellent,”  Headmaster Fu began. “It is my pleasure to introduce Maxen King, head of the Auror department.”  Fu quickly stepped to the side and began clapping, and the students began clapping as well, many muttering to their friends about the man who was all but a legend from the war.

 

“ _The_ _Gorilla_.”  Alya gasped, staring at the man in awe.

 

“Good evening.”  the man said with a deep voice. Conversation died, and attention quickly turned to the man standing behind the headmasters podium.  “My name is Maxen King, and as Headmaster Fu stated, I am the head of the Auror Department.” He cast a stern gaze around the room. “Many of you will enter your name to this tournament. Only three of your names will come out. To those who wish to be one of those three, I must warn, do not wish for this lightly. This is not a game. This is not a test. There is no reset spell we can cast. This is not a controlled environment.”  

 

People began to look nervous, and began murmuring amongst each other. Marinette nodded, having expected as much. A glance at her friends showed Alya to be fidgeting uncomfortably, while Adrien merely looked resigned.

 

“This is real, extremely dangerous, and not to be done with a passing interest.”  The head Auror’s scowl deepened as he continued. “The International Confederation of Wizards, in its…  _ infinite  _ wisdom, has decided that the age restriction will be enforced on those thirteen and below.” 

 

Both Fu and King directed a scowl at a man who was standing off to the side that Marinette didn’t recognize. The man scowled back, although he also looked vaguely smug, which made Marinette suspect that this was an argument the man had won.

 

“Also with us today, are Mr. Simon Grimault, the head of the Magical Games and Sports department-”  King was cut off by a few whoops from more than one of the quidditch enthusiasts in the students.

 

Grimault grinned and gave a cheery wave from where he stood. Marinette smiled as memories of his announcing from the World Cup Final came back to her, though most surely remembered him for his Quidditch playing.

 

“Also here, is Mr. Thomas Bend, a British representative of the ICW,”  King added gesturing to the man who he had scowled at earlier. The man raised his hand and received polite applause from the students. King remained silent for a few moments even after the applause stopped, seeming to think carefully about his next words.

 

“I wish you all good luck and a good tournament.” 

 

With that, the Auror stepped away from the podium, nodded towards Fu, and walked off to the side of the hall to applause and cheers. 

 

Fu resumed his place in front of the throng of students, their excitement nearly palpable. He clapped his hands, and in front of all of the students, a large goblet appeared on the stand.

 

Marinette stared at it in confusion. The wandless magic was impressive, but there was nothing overly special-

 

A plume of blue fire suddenly lit from the goblet and quickly spread around the rim of the magical artifact. Adrien let out a low whistle from next to her. Marinette silently agreed, and marvelled at the flames flickering around the edge of the cup.

 

“ _ Il y a des sorts sérieux sur ce,”   _ Adrien murmured, his tone awestruck. He began muttering to himself under his breath, completely entranced.

 

“The Goblet of Fire.”  Fu announced, eyeing the magical artifact with a small smile.  “Anyone who wishes to partake in this fabled tournament must write their school and name on a piece of parchment, and throw it into the goblet. The selection ceremony will take place two weeks from now. You have fourteen days to make your decision, starting tomorrow morning.”   He turned his gaze out to the rest of the hall. “Choose wisely. And on that note, I believe that concludes tonight's announcements. Have a good night.”

 

The headmaster then clapped his hands again, setting off a low rumble, which startled everyone who was still staring at the goblet. Adrien glanced up at Fu, and seemed to shake himself out of a haze, before grinning at Marinette, eyes gleaming.

 

“I’m suddenly very interested in this tournament.” 

 

XxXxXxXxXxX

 

It was twenty minutes to eleven when Marinette stepped out of the Slytherin common room. She quietly padded up the stairs from the dungeon, heading towards Headmaster Fu’s office, unsure of what awaited her there. 

 

The rest of her night had gone well, having spent another half hour with Alya and Adrien before the latter had disappeared with the rest of the Beauxbatons contingent. He had bid the two girls a good night, and Marinette found herself under Alya’s scrutiny once again, with the bespectacled girl hurling questions at her as fast as she could. “ _ What do you think the tournament will be like? Who do you think will be in the tournament? What do you think the tasks will be? WHY WAS ADRIEN HOLDING YOUR HAND ON THE WAY OVER HERE? _ ” She’d been so excited she’d forgotten to be nervous around Nino, who had shown up halfway through the storm of questions.

 

Marinette had spent another hour with Alya and Nino after that, content to spend time with her friends before Nino had to leave, and Alya suddenly remembered that she had forgotten to finish her potions essay and quickly fled up into the depths of the castle. 

 

Marinette had returned to her dormitory, nearly forgetting about her meeting with the headmaster, until the memory of Fu greeting her hit her, and she quickly jumped from her bed and left her room. 

 

She’d received an odd look or two from the few remaining people in the common room, but nobody had questioned her, and she was now out of the dungeons and nearing the seventh floor where Headmaster Fu’s office resided. 

 

It was as she reached the landing for the seventh floor that she realized she did not have the password to get into Fu’s office. She bit her lip thoughtfully, hoping that Fu would realize this oversight before she got there.

 

“Ms. Dupain-Cheng!”  a stern voice barked. 

 

Marinette jumped and whipped around, and came face to face with a scowling Professor Mendeliev. 

 

“Thirty points from Slytherin for being out past curfew! What are you doing out at this hour?”  Her head of house demanded, eyes sparking with anger behind her glasses.

 

“Headmaster Fu asked me to meet him in his office at eleven!”  Marinette protested.

 

Professor Mendeliev looked genuinely confused for a few moments, but her angry look quickly returned, and she strode past Marinette, beckoning her pupil to follow. Marinette dutifully followed the route she had taken more than once in her time at Hogwarts. Some of her trips to the headmaster’s office had seen her arrive flushed with victory. Others… She shook her head, hoping to clear away thoughts of that part of her time in Hogwarts.

 

They arrived in front of the stone gargoyle that guarded the headmasters office a few moments later. Marinette noticed how its stone eyes followed their every movement, ever watching. She shuddered. It was always a weird feeling, being reminded of just how  _ alive  _ the castle felt at times.

 

Professor Mendeliev heaved a sigh and glared at the gargoyle.

 

“Jolly Ranchers,”  she bit out, as if saying the words were poison.

 

Marinette held back her snort, but it was a near thing. The gargoyle leapt out of the way, still watching as the two made their way into the spiral stairwell. 

 

At the top of the stairway, the potions professor rapped on the door three times, and waited for a response. Marinette hovered anxiously behind her, hoping Professor Mendeliev would give the thirty points she’d taken back. 

 

“Enter,”  came the headmaster’s voice through the door, and Professor Mendeliev pushed the door open and entered, with Marinette trailing behind. 

 

“Headmaster,”  Professor Mendeliev greeted, approaching the desk the headmaster sat behind.  “I found Ms. Dupain-Cheng wandering the halls, claiming that she had a meeting with you at this time?”  

 

Marinette quickly stepped out from behind the professor and flashed a smile at the headmaster, who chuckled.

 

“That is correct,”  He informed the professor.  “I rather think it fortunate you found her, as I forgot to give her the password when I told her of the meeting. How are you this lovely night, Marinette?”  he asked, turning his kind gaze onto her.

 

Marinette smiled.  “I’m doing very well headmaster. I’m curious as to why I’m here, but beyond that I’m doing well.” 

 

“I must also admit I am curious as to her purpose here,”  a voice rumbled from the corner. 

 

Marinette turned and gasped as she came face to face with Maxen King, who towered over her. The man was now even more imposing now that she was closer to him. He had brown hair that was beginning to show signs of age, with flecks of grey that were starting to show, both in his hair and the sideburns on his cheeks. Despite his aging face, it was obvious the man was well built, with a broad chest and shoulders that only seemed to add to his scary demeanor. The large man was scrutinizing her with his dark eyes, but they soon flicked to Fu when the headmaster began speaking.

 

“I will explain soon.”  Master Fu reassured them.  “We are waiting for a few more arrivals, but then all will be explained. In the meantime, please, sit!”  He waved his wand and three chairs were conjured, and the group sat.

 

Soon after, there was another knock, and Professor D’Argencourt and Professor Bustier entered, with the young woman casting a confused look at her student, while Professor D’Argencourt looked unfazed. Marinette figured it was due to the conversation she and Alya had stumbled upon. D’Argencourt probably knew more than anyone else here.

 

A few minutes after that, another knock came from the door, and in stepped the Durmstrang Headmaster, who nodded to everyone and stepped to the side of the room, where he declined a chair when Fu offered.

 

Almost immediately the door burst open, and a panting Professor Stone staggered in.

 

“Sorry about that,”  he gasped, collapsing into a chair that Fu had conjured at his entrance. He slumped against it, his skinny, short frame made the comfortable chair look twice the size it truly was. Though Marinette knew from experience that his personality itself was big enough to fill a stadium, all screaming and cheering. That thought prompted Marinette to glance at her purple haired professor and try to imagine him as a rockstar. She snorted. As if. What kind of person would pay money to go see a ‘Jagged Stone’ concert? 

 

_ Besides. It’d only inflate his ego.  _ Marinette thought, giggling to herself.

 

Professor Stone took a deep breath and seemed to recover enough of his breath to speak again.  “Forgot about the meeting.” He explained, fiddling with one of his dangly earrings.

 

“Why didn’t you foresee that you would forget?” Professor Mendeliev sneered from the other side of the room. Professor Stone didn’t even look bothered, merely flipping his purple hair over his shoulder and inspecting his fingernails, which were painted a lovely shade of blue.

 

“Because that’s not how the inner eye works Verena,”  he said slowly, as though explaining it to a child.

 

Professor Mendeliev huffed and crossed her arms angrily. Marinette surmised that it was an argument the two had all the time if Fu’s fond smile and Professor Bustier’s exasperated look was enough to go by.

 

“One more.”  Fu murmured, glancing up at the clock nestled in the far corner.

 

As if on cue, a final knock came on the door, and Fu smiled in relief.

 

“Enter.”

 

The door swung open, and in walked a shrouded figure. The person was wearing a jet black cloak, with a hood that obscured any and all features from view.

 

“Chat Noir.”  The headmaster greeted, giving the hooded person a nod of respect. The figure reached his hands up and lowered his hood.

 

“Headmaster Fu.”  The man greeted.

 

The room was struck silent by the man’s appearance. He had blonde hair, a chiseled jaw and a jagged scar that stretched down his right cheek. If Marinette had to guess, she’d say the man was maybe twenty-five, but it was hard to really tell because of the jet black mask that covered everything above his nose. 

 

Most startling though, were the not quite so human aspects about him. The man’s eyes were perfectly catlike, the pupils straying towards a near diamond like shape, as opposed to the regular circles that humans had. Apart from his pupils, the man’s eyes were entirely green, as if somebody had dyed the parts that were meant to be white. 

 

There were also the cat ears.

 

The obsidian cat ears were nestled in his blonde hair, and they looked suspiciously real. Marinette wondered that if maybe, just maybe she could touch them, they’d twitch in response.

 

“You did not need to lower your cloak,”  Headmaster Fu said softly. “I know how much you value your identity.”

 

Chat Noir shrugged dismissively.  

 

“None of you have met me before. I highly doubt it matters here. Forgive me though, I’d rather not show my entire face.”

 

King stood out of his chair and offered his hand.  “Maxen King. Head of the Auror Department.”

 

Chat Noir shook the hand offered to him and nodded.  “Chat Noir.”

 

Professor Mendeliev snorted.

 

“Original,”  She sneered at Chat Noir’s questioning glance.

 

“It’s not like I chose it. You can thank the french press for that,”  he replied, though his tone made it clear he didn’t care what Mendeliev thought of him or his name.

 

Marinette’s eyebrows raised. She hadn’t noticed the french accent, but now that it had been brought up, she couldn’t unhear it.

 

“Anyways,”  Fu interjected, clearly hoping to head off any potential arguments.  “We’re all here, so we can begin.”

 

“Excellent.”  Headmaster Kohler stated, rolling his eyes.  “You take too long to get things started Guiying.”

 

“I suppose you’re right,”  Fu chuckled, acknowledging the point.  “I have brought you all here today because we’re facing a severe threat. I believe Hawkmoth may be returning, and I believe you are all in agreement with me.”  Receiving nods of confirmation, he went to continue but was interrupted by a small voice.

 

“I’m sorry, what?”  Marinette asked faintly.

 

Chat Noir blanched and his eyes shot to the source of the voice, before flicking back to the headmaster.  “You may have jumped the curse, Headmaster.” Fu noticeably paled as he realized his blunder.

 

“Oh Marinette I’m so sorry.”  His voice was soft, full of genuine regret.  “I sincerely forgot that you weren’t aware.”

 

“I mean… I kinda knew.”  Marinette admitted. “But it’s one thing to suspect, and another to hear it from you.”

 

Fu nodded grimly, and gave her an apologetic look. When he spoke again, his voice kept the grandfatherly gentleness Marinette had come to appreciate whenever she was rattled.

 

“Will you be okay?” 

 

Marinette nodded firmly, and sat up straighter in her chair. Fu gave her an approving nod in return.

 

“Very well. Now, as I was saying-”

 

“Hold on.”  Professor Bustier interrupted.  “Is everyone in this room someone we can undoubtedly trust?”

 

“Yes,”  Fu replied with complete certainty.

 

“Even him?”  The professor jerked a thumb at Chat Noir, who was leaning against a bookshelf with his arms crossed, and looking thoroughly unimpressed with the proceedings.

 

“I believe he is trustworthy,”  Fu repeated.

 

“How do you know though?”  Headmaster Kohler asked, frowning.  “Do you know who he is?”

 

“I do not,”  Fu admitted.

 

“Then how can we trust him?”  Professor Mendeliev demanded.

 

“Perhaps we should ask him, instead of harassing the headmaster?”  Professor D’Argencourt suggested dryly. Everyone in the room turned towards the masked man.

 

“Explain to me why we should trust you,”  the ex-auror requested, staring at the masked figure in front of him pensively.

 

“I never said you could, nor that you should.”  Chat Noir replied.

 

Marinette almost missed it, but the head Auror gave a small approving nod.

 

“I’d trust you a lot more if I knew who you were.”  Professor Bustier reasoned.

 

“And I’d trust you more if you weren’t withholding information about yourself,”  Chat countered. “So I’d say we’re even.”

 

“ _ What _ exactly is it that I’m withholding?”  she demanded. Chat moved away from the bookshelf and glared at the young professor.

 

“You’ve been spying, Caline, and on students too. That’s a rather large fine is it not?”

 

“I haven’t- you can’t just- you- you have no proof of-”  She spluttered.

 

“There’s also the matter of you being an unregistered animagus, but seeing as how that’s nothing but advantageous to our cause, I vote we let that matter slide.”  Chat added blithely, waving a hand dismissively.

 

The professor’s mouth dropped, but she quickly rallied.  “ _ Again,  _ you have nothing but accusations with no proof to back it up.”

 

Chat Noir sighed and rubbed his forehead.  “Western Bluebird. Orange chest plumage with a white streak down your left wing, probably a scar on your actual arm.”  The professor recoiled as if burned. “As far as proof goes, well...” His wand was out in an instant.  _ “Animagi Revelio!”   _ The professor was swarmed in a blue light, and in a matter of seconds, a small Bluebird was standing where she had sat a moment before. It began chirping angrily at Chat Noir, who leaned forward and hissed at it. The bird froze in place, suddenly looking terrified.   _ “Finite.”   _ Chat growled. The professor was back, gasping for breath.  “So as I was saying, no. I will  _ not  _ be sharing who I am with any of you today.”

 

“You’ve made your point.”  Professor D’Argencourt said sternly, shooting a disapproving look at his coworker.

 

“Indeed,”  Headmaster Fu said pointedly. He gave everyone in the room a glare that made it clear the discussion of Chat Noir’s identity was to be dropped.

 

“That was you today!”  Marinette exclaimed suddenly.  “Adrien saw you on the windowsill!”

 

Professor Bustier nodded stiffly, and cast a wary glance at Chat Noir, who’d returned to his previous position.

 

“I trust everyone in this room,”  Fu said resolutely. “You are all integral to our efforts.”

 

“So why is  _ she  _ here?”  Headmaster Kohler asked sarcastically, gesturing towards Marinette. 

 

Marinette bristled, but she kept her mouth shut, not wanting to look petulant. To her surprise, somebody else came to her defense.

 

“‘ _ She’  _ has a name you know.”  Chat Noir commented. Kohler waved him away. 

 

“I know she does, but that’s not the point. She didn’t even know Hawkmoth was making a resurgence until she entered this room.”  He turned to Fu. “Do you care to explain yourself Guiying?”

 

Fu heaved a deep sigh and folded his hands in front of him.

 

“Something happened five years ago. Something both frustrating and agonizingly real.”  Fu rose from behind his desk and walked out from behind it, rubbing his forehead. “I believe Ms. Dupain-Cheng here is the subject of a prophecy.”

 

Marinette didn’t need to act surprised. She was genuinely shocked that Fu was deciding to tell her about it. She eyed the rest of the room, and they seemed to at the very least understand her presence now. Even so, she stood by what she’d told Alya. She didn’t want to know what the prophecy said.

 

“What does it say?”  Professor Stone asked, leaning forward. Fu took a deep breath.

 

_ “As the butterfly flies, a curse will be-” _

 

“Wait!!”  Marinette shrieked, waving her hands frantically.  “I don’t want to know!”

 

“ _ What?? _ ”  several voices asked in shock.

 

“I don’t want to know.”  Marinette said firmly. “With all due respect to divination and Professor Stone, I loathe the idea that I don’t have a say in the path my life takes.”

 

“But Marinette,”  Master Fu began, “I assure you it is in your best interests to hear this prophecy.”  

 

Marinette rose from her seat, and looked around the room. A few people looked startled, though Chat Noir had a smirk on his face.

 

“Well if  _ I  _ ever decide it’s in my best interests, I’ll let you all know and I can hear it then. Was there anything else you wanted to discuss with me Headmaster?”  Fu frowned.

 

“Well no, but-”

 

“Then I will take my leave. I do have Professor Bustier’s class tomorrow morning.”  She turned towards the door and strode to it. “Have a good night.” she said, before ripping the door open and leaving.

 

As she walked down the stairs, she heard Chat Noir’s remark as he closed the door.

 

“I like her.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> End Scene! :D
> 
> So yeah! Lemme know what you thought! I hope you liked it, though I'm sure some of you are a tad displeased about me teasing the prophecy like that. And to you I say 'MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA' 
> 
> Okay okay. So yes that will be addressed, I promise, but not right now. Marinette doesn't want to know, okay? She just doesn't. And she's the main character. (fun fact this is the first Miraculous fanfic where I don't have Adrien share some of the perspective. It's all Marinette, and honestly I like it a lot. So, if you have any questions then I will happily answer them in the comments. In the meantime I hope-
> 
> Adrien: Wait, I have a question.  
> Me: Oh good lord not this again, what do you want?  
> Adrien: I have a very large issue with this chapter.  
> Me: Look, I'm sorry about just having you leave with no real part dedicated to it but I-  
> Adrien: No it's not that.  
> Me: It's not? Oh. I figured that would be it. Is it that you're getting forced into the tournament?  
> Adrien: No. Well yes, but no.  
> Me: You don't even know that you're going to be in the tournament yet I don't see what-  
> Adrien: YOU STOLE MY CHOCOLATE CAKE FROM ME!!!  
> Me: Oh yeaaaaaah. Forgot about that.  
> Adrien: YOU FORGOT?? I DEMAND CAKE!!  
> Me: Sigh, okay yeah.  
> Adrien: TEA AND CAKE OR DEATH
> 
> Okay... Hopefully that will take care of that. Uhm while I'm here are there any more questions from the audience? Oh hell. Yeah, you the blonde one?
> 
> Chloe, flipping her hair dramatically: So I've hardly been in the last few chapters and I-  
> Me: No. Next question. Yeah you.
> 
> Alya: Is Adrien going to hurt my girl? Because if he does I'll-  
> Me: Not intentionally.  
> Alya: Uh... Good??  
> Me, smiling cruelly: I didn't say that.
> 
> Anyone else? *Ignores thirty hands from readers in back* No? Awesome.
> 
> Impatient reader: IS ADRIEN AN ANIMAGUS KJSDGKJSDJVVNJBVUHF I NEED TO KNOOOOOW  
> Me: ..................... No.  
> Reader: Then how did he do the transformation to Chat Noir- GASP IS HE A METAMORPHMAGUS???  
> Me: NO  
> Reader: THEN IS HE-  
> Me: EVEN IF YOU GUESS RIGHT I'M NOT GOING TO TELL YOU GEEZ  
> Reader: Sullen muttering.
> 
> Now if that will do it I-
> 
> Three other readers: WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE'S NOT AN ANIMAGUS WHOSVJNDBJVJSSL:FJ HOW DARE-  
> Me: *Sigh*
> 
> Anyways I love you all! I hope you enjoyed the chapter!
> 
> Until Next Time!  
> ~Nebilas~

**Author's Note:**

> I love me some Harry Potter. :D
> 
> Leave me comments? I like comments. :)
> 
> Until Next Time!
> 
> ~Nebilas~


End file.
